The Holy Grail: Pele v Maradona! Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Pele won three World Cup medals, but do you know in which of the three was he sidelined due to an injury he suffered in the second game of the tournament, and hence didn't play in the remaining games?

Answer: 1962

Pele injured himself while attempting a long-range shot in Brazil's second group match against Czechoslovakia in the 1962 WC. That said, he did score a fantastic goal against Mexico in the first game, on top of providing an assist. Amarildo was the man who replaced him for the remaining games. He did really well, too, scoring 3 goals, including 1 in the final. His three winning medals were 1958, 1962 and 1970.

This has led many to claim that the Brazil side of the 1960s and 1970 was so fantastic (including the likes of Garrincha, Tostao, Didi, Jairzinho, Gerson, Rivelino, Carlos Alberto, Djalma Santos etc) that they would have won those WCs without Pele. It does not detract anything from Pele, in my opinion, though. Actually, the mere fact that he was called the best in spite of the presence of the other greats is all the more special.

2. Maradona took part in four World Cup Tournaments, 1982-86-90-94. He dominated the 1986 World Cup like no single player had ever before, captaining Argentina to victory. In the 1994 World Cup though, he was sent home in disgrace after the second game following which infamous incident?

Answer: He failed a drug test for ephedrine doping

Ephedrine is commonly used to reduce weight in humans and increases concentration levels. Diego claimed the test result was due to his personal trainer unwittingly giving him the U.S. version of power drink Rip Fuel which contains ephedrine instead of the Argentine version which doesn't.
Maradona also claimed later that he had a prior agreement with FIFA to allow him to use the drug for weight loss before the competition, so that the Wordl Cup would not lose any prestige due to his absence. This allegation was never proven.

3. Pele played for the Brazilian club Santos for the majority of his career. This led skeptics to say that since he didn't play in the top European leagues, his enormous goal tally cannot be taken at face value. What is ignored, however, is that the South American leagues at that point were, if anything, better than their European cousins. On that note, what was the final score when Santos beat the reigning European Cup champions Benfica in the 1962 Intercontinental Cup, in Lisbon?

Answer: 5-2

Pele himself scored a hat-trick against the legendary Benfica side led by the great striker Eusebio at the height of his powers. This was the second leg, the first having been won by Santos 3-2 at the Maracana.
Santos also thrashed Benfica on other occasions, including 6-3 in 1961, 4-0 in 1966 and 4-2 in 1968, and never lost to them. Not to mention that Pele's Santos routinely beat the other great European sides on a regular basis, including AC Milan in the 1963 Intercontinental Cup. It is a very, very impressive record, and Pele's record is very impressive too.

4. Maradona's greatest club years came with Napoli frm 1984 to 1991. In an incredibly tough Italian League, the otherwise average Napoli won the Scudetto (The Serie A) twice, while finishing second twice. In which seasons did Napoli win those two titles?

Answer: 1986-87 and 1989-90

The triumphs are all the more extraordinary because in the competition was the great Milan side of Sacchi which had van Basten, Gullit, Maldini, Baresi, Rijkaard etc which was the best team in Europe in those years. Not to mention Trapattoni's Inter featuring Passarella, Brady, Rummenigge, Matthaus etc. Also, they won a UEFA Cup, the Italian Super Cup and the Copa Italia in those years.
Napoli have since retired Diego's #10 jersey.

5. After all is said and done, Pele's numbers are mind boggling. At the age of 17 and in his very first season, Pele became the league's top goal scorer for Santos. The following season, he scored an amazing _____ goals in 32 games, a record that will probabaly never be broken. Fill in the blank.

Answer: 58

Pele scored a total of 659 goals for Santos in 800 appearances, a remarkable feat. He was the League's top scorer for his first nine consecutive seasons 1957-1965 which also is astounding, considering how young he was. He was top goal scorer again in 1969 and 1973.

6. Maradona made his professional debut at the age of just 16 for Argentinos Juniors and played there for 5 years between 1976 and 1981. How many goals did he score in his 167 appearances for the club?

Answer: 115

Diego was then sold to Boca Juniors for an incredible 1.0m pounds. It was a shame that the Argentina National Team didn't take him along for the 1978 World Cup, although he did deliver the World Youth Championship for Argentina in 1977, at age 18. As always, he was the star of the tournament.

7. Maradona scored what many people regard as the greatest goal in World Cup history in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup against England, when he ran from his own half and dribbled past five English players and the goalkeeper Peter Shilton to score. It was scored just 4 minutes after the incredible 'Hand of God' was allowed in by referee Ali Bin Nasser. The question is: He scored another running, dribbling virtuoso goal in the semi-final, but against whom?

Answer: Belgium

The England goal was voted the 'Goal of the Century' in an online poll conducted by FIFA in 2002. But the Belgium goal remains largely absent from the public consciousness.

8. Although not remembered outside of Santos and Fluminense, in March 1961, Pele scored the gol de placa (goal worthy of a plaque) for Santos against Fluminese. After receiving the ball at the edge of his own penalty box, he ran the entire length of the field, foxing the opposing players, and put the ball in the back of the net. The goal was regarded so spectacular that a plaque was commissioned with a dedication to "The Most Beautiful Goal in the History of _________ ". Fill in the blank.

Answer: Maracana

Maracana is the home stadium of Fluminense and the biggest stadium of Brazil. It is most famous for hosting the 1950 WC Final between Brazil and Uruguay which the latter won 2-1 to the extreme grief (and surprise) of the Brazilian people. 'Joga Bonito' means The Beautiful Game, a phrase first made popular by Santos and the Brazil National Team during Pele's era.

9. Maradona once famously (and pompously) announced, "There would be no debate about who was the best footballer the world had ever seen - me or Pele. Everyone would say me." On the other hand, another oft-quoted remark is, "What Zidane does with a ball, Maradona could do with an orange." Who said this?

Answer: Michel Platini

In the summer before the Euro 2000, Platini made the remark ahead of the UEFA executive committee meeting. While acknowledging Zizou's greatness, he just put greatness in context.

10. Quote: "Pel� is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20 years. All the others - Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini - rank beneath him. There's no one to compare with Pel�." Who made this assessment?

Answer: Franz Beckenbauer

Here is what The King himself had to say on the subject, "For 20 years they have asked me the same question, who is the greatest? Pele or Maradona? I replay that all you have to do is look at the facts - how many goals did he score with his right foot or with his head?". Touche.

Source: Author harsh_skm

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Weigh in on the Pele v Maradona debate with the following awesome facts about the two great legends!

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