Pele was a great player in an era when the game was slower and many, many international sides weren't up to the standard of the Brazilians.
Cruyff was a contemporary of Pele, true, but he came later when the game became a repository of super-athletes. I still believe his personal achievements as a player were greater, though of course he never won World Cups. Pele's teammates never get the plaudits they deserve.
Don't forget, most football fans never saw Pele play except in one or two internationals they caught on TV. His reputation is based on the short grabs of wonderful stuff he did during games.
Maradona is also a great player, and if European trophies are the only yardstick, a much greater player than Pele. He was a great ball-juggler, but his real effectiveness was as a motivator for scared and volatile younger players. His goals against England in the Hand Of God game are shown time and again, but he handled one and it was actually Fenwick (o.g.) who scored the so-called Goal Of The Century (Fenwick is never likely to claim it).
I brought this latter goal up with a BBC radio presenter once live on air (I was phone-in caller) and though he said he disagreed with me, he said he would go the archives and study the tape that night and annnounce his verdict the next day.
He did so, and admitted I was right.
I wish Maradona had played in the UK, because I think he stayed in Spain and Italy to be closer to the corruption and the drugs he needed to maintain his reputation.
