No messing around with Pele’s records!

Having surpassed Pele’scareer-best tally of most goals in a calendar year, Lionel Messi is now nine goalsaway from German legend Gerd Muller’s record of 85 goals in a year.
 With a month and a half to go for 2012to close, the Agentine Messi might well break Muller’s record too.
 In terms of sheer numbers, Messi can betalked off in the same breath.
 But in reality, can Messi ever becompared to either Pele or Muller? Considering various factors, the answer can onlybe an emphatic ‘no’.
 Pele scored 75 goals for Brazil and Santosin 1958 in just 53 matches, making his senior team debut on Sept 7, 1956 at theage of 15 against Corinthians of Santo Andre.
 He scored the first of his record 1281goals in football history during that game.
 When the 1957 season started, Pele wasgiven a starting place and, at the age of 16, became the topscorer in the league.Pele’s record of 75 goals in a year came in only his second professional season.Muller was 27 and an established star when he got those 86 goals in 1972 inonly 60 games.
 In comparison, Messi made his Barcelonadebut in 2003-04, aged 17. Into his 9th season with the club, the 25-year oldhas scored 76 goals this year. Despite his boyish looks, Messi has a little morethan six to seven years of top-flight football left in him.
 As such, his record effort comes aftera long stint in the league and almost more than half way into retirement.
 Muller too achieved that feat at ajuncture similar to Messi’s. But Pele was as fresh as a daisy when he burst onto the scene in 1958 and notched that incredible feat of 75 goals as a17-year-old boy.
 More importantly, Pele scored as manyas six goals, one in the quarter-final against Wales, three in the semi-finalsagainst France and two in the final against Sweden and starred in Brazil’sstunning World Cup victory in 1958.
 He scored a total of nine goals forBrazil that year. Consequently, Pele’s effort is a more remarkable achievement.Mullertoo did the star turn for the then West Germany in 1972.
 He scored two goals in the finalagainst the Soviet Union and enabled them to win the European Cup. In 1974,Muller also scored the winner for West Germany in the final as they won theWorld Cup defeating Netherlands 2-1 at the end of an epic battle in Munich.Messi has no such efforts to show for all his records at Barcelona.
 Messi has scored his 76 goals in 59appearances with 64 of his tally coming for the club. Thus he has scored 12 goalsfor Argentina but is yet to guide them to a major soccer title. He did play hispart in Argentina winning the Olympic Games soccer gold in 2008 in Beijing.Butthat is essentially an amateur tournament with only three professionals above25 permitted. Until Messi shines for Argentina and guides them to victory inthe Copa America tournament or the World Cup, his greatness can never bemeasured, much less compared with two World Cup stars and winners too.
 One thing is certain, Pele’s recordscannot be messed around with by anyone - even Muller or Messi.