Pelé's World Cup Record
The legendary Brazilian Pelé is the only player ever to win three World Cups. Pelé, now 82, his first World Cup at the age of 17 in 1958. As he became the youngest player to ever play in the World Cup at the time, he also scored two goals in Brazil's 5-2 win over Sweden in the final.
Brazil repeated the feat four years later even though Pelé appeared in just two games due to injury. After England the 1966 World Cup, a nation that has famously failed to reach a World Cup final since, Brazil did not make it out of the group stage that season. Pelé added a third World Cup in 1970 before retiring from international play the following season.
Pelé's goals-to-matches ratio at the World Cup stands out. He scored six goals as a teenager in the 1958 World Cup and added four more in 1970. In total, he has 12 World Cup goals in just 14 matches. Messi has one more World Cup goal than Pelé but has already played in 12 more World Cup matches.
Overall, Pelé scored 77 goals across 92 international caps for Brazil and helped revolutionize the game of soccer as he became a cultural icon. After a near two-decade club career at Santos in Brazil, he joined the New York Cosmos for three seasons at the end of his career. Even though he was not the player he once was, Pelé's move to the now-defunct North American Soccer League paved the way for other stars to come to the States long before Messi decided to spend the final years of his career in Miami.
The Case For Messi As GOAT
Pelé may have more World Cup trophies, but Messi's résumé stands apart. Messi has the Ballon d'Or, the award for best men's soccer player, eight times. That is three more than any other player.
Pelé was ineligible to win the award, which was given only to European players during his career. In 2016, France Football re-evaluated previous Ballon d'Or awards under the current standards and deemed that Pelé would have seven Ballon d'Ors.
Messi's club teams have their leagues 13 times, including in Spain, France, and the United States. He four Champions League titles while at Barcelona, and scored 627 goals across 714 matches with the club across all competitions before moving to PSG in 2021. For his club career, Messi has averaged 1.32 goals and assists per 90 minutes played. Cristiano Ronaldo, the only man who can be considered Messi's modern contemporary has a career average of 1.11 goals and assists per 90 minutes.
Messi also has top-level longevity that Pelé did not have. Pelé's last World Cup came when he was 29 years old. Tuesday's game against Algeria will make Messi the first player to appear in games in six World Cups, though Ronaldo will join him in that club soon after and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa will as well if he plays at all during the tournament.
Messi's cultural reach is also unmatched. As the most popular athlete in the world, he is being introduced to the millions of Americans who are not soccer fans. His likeness appears repeatedly in grocery stores, on products like potato chips and beer, and a certain home improvement store even sells a giant inflatable Messi for yards.
Why Messi Can Top Pelé In 2026
With Argentina opening against Algeria on Tuesday, the path to a second consecutive World Cup title runs through Messi's last World Cup on the international stage. Pelé's three World Cup wins remain the benchmark in that debate, but Messi's eight Ballon d'Or wins, 13 league titles across three countries, four Champions League crowns, and record six World Cup appearances frame what is at stake if Argentina repeats as champion.
