Brazilian legend Pele had a distinguished experience in the American League with the New York Cosmos, making him almost the most successful player in the history of the competition, until Lionel Messi arrived and proved that he is the best player to ever set foot in the land of Uncle Sam.
Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami’s victory over the New England Revolution. This was his 65th match for Inter Miami, surpassing the number of matches Pele played with the New York Cosmos between 1975 and 1977.
Remarkably, in his two years in America, Pele scored 37 goals and made 18 assists. Messi, in a similar period and with the same number of matches, scored 54 goals and made 24 assists, 17 goals and six assists more than Pele, reflecting his near-absolute superiority when compared to the Brazilian legend.
Having surpassed him in matches, Messi now hopes to break Pelé’s other historic record as the second-highest scorer of free kicks in history. The difference between them is currently only two goals. Messi is expected to achieve this goal before the end of his career, if he doesn’t catch Juninho in first place.
Messi led Inter Miami to their first title in the club’s history after winning the Leagues Cup last year. He also led the team to the MLS playoffs before losing the title to Atlanta United.
