Everyone says Pelé is the GOAT - but this is who he thought it was

The world is remembering world-famous Brazilian footballer Pelé today after he died at the age of 82.

Long-hailed as the greatest football player of all time, people shared clips of "the GOAT" doing what he did best - playing football.

Football clubs, organizations, fans, and players shared their memories and love for Pelé on Thursday calling him a "trailblazer", "the first to do it", and more.

And to call Pelé "the GOAT" is right.

The Brazilian footballer is the only person to have won three World Cups and holds the Guinness World Record for "most career goals."

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Pelé nearly averaged one goal per game throughout his career in part because he was able to strike the ball with either foot.

@ESPNFC

While many hail the Brazilian footballer as "the GOAT" Pelé himself saw a lot of potential in other players and recognized talent in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi, who just coming off his win in the World Cup, is widely considered to be one of the best football players in the world - similar in rank to Pelé.

The Argentinan footballer recently surpassed Pelé's record for most goals scored for a single club.

But on the other hand, Ronaldo is also considered one of the greatest footballers in the world. He currently holds the record for the most amount of goals scored with 819.

But in a resurfaced interview, Pelé detailed which player he would choose for his own team.

"If I had to decide, for my team, I'd start Messi," Pelé said.

Along with Messi, Pelé named the players he believed were in the ranks of greats of all time including Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Zinedine Zidane, Zico, and more.

Messi and Ronaldo joined other players in saying farewell to Pelé with heartfelt tributes on social media.

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