Alekander Tikhonov: Messi is not superior to Pele in the history of football

 Four-time Olympic champion, Russian biathlete Alexander Tikhonov, expressed his opinion on comparisons between Lionel Messi and Pele in the context of football history. Tikhonov believes that the Argentine striker does not occupy a more significant place than the legendary Brazilian. Pele won the World Cup three times while Messi achieved it once. "Messi is a world-class player who proved his class in every match. People came to the stadiums to see players like Messi, Pele, Maradona and Eusebio. The Argentines did well to build a monument to him. Maradona also had his problems, but when he died, the country declared national mourning. I don't think that in the history of football, Messi was superior to Pele. I saw Pele on the pitch in 1965 at the Luzhniki Stadium. I was 25 meters away him when he scored a goal that no one could have imagined. He had so many individual skills. For me, Pele is the best," Tikhonov said in an interview with "Sovetsky Sport". --- ## Related Articles 1. [David Raya Discusses Goalkeeper Competition in Spain National Team](https://pitchpulsemedia.com/en/news/david-raya-discusses-goalkeeper-competition-in-spain-national-team) 2. [Mundial 2026](https://golmaru.com/news/2026-197)