Tuesday, 21st February, 2012
Pele believes that the current Barcelona side are akin to the Santos outfit of his own era.
The Brazilian legend is a huge fan of the Blaugrana and has hailed the talents of Lionel Messi and co. on numerous occasions.
Indeed, despite Barcelona looking likely to lose their Spanish league title crown to Real Madrid this season, Pele is fulsome in his praise, ranking Josep Guardiola’s men as amongst the great teams.
"Barcelona are today like Santos of my time, or like Benfica, Ajax, AC Milan or Real Madrid in their prime", Pele told FIFA.com.
"All of these teams have been reference points.
"The common point between them is at their peak, they were made up of players who were together for a long time."
Pele also believes the Blaugrana’s influence on the Spain team is further evidence of their greatness.
"Take Barcelona. This team provides the backbone of the Spanish team. There is a direct link between the successes of Barcelona and those of Spain.
"It was the same thing at the time of the great Ajax side, which coincided with the best Netherlands team. The same for Santos and Brazil."
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