Gigi Riva in La Gazzetta: “I saw Maradona and Pelé up close: all the others are behind them”

Former Cagliari player Gigi Riva, in an interview with The Gazzetta dello Sport recalled Pelé thus: “I have no doubts: Pelé was the greatest of all, like Maradona because I put them on the same level. I have seen them up close, even if in different eras, and I must admit that I and all the others we are behind them, detached from those two”. And on the 1970 final lost in Mexico: “You shouldn’t have discovered Pelé in that game. It’s true, he scored a beautiful header that went down in history. However, we weren’t there that day, because we felt cooked mentally and physically after the famous 4-3 semi-final win against West Germany after extra time”.