Wednesday, 16th April, 2014
Brazilian legend Pele has revealed that as a modern day footballer he would have loved to play for Spanish giants Barcelona.
The former South American player represented Santos throughout his playing career, appearing in 638 games with 619 goals, except for a brief stint with New York Cosmos towards the end of his footballing days.
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But, in an interview with Time Magazine, the former forward said that if made to choose from the present set of teams he would be delighted to be part of the Spanish side, as they follow the playing style of his former club.
“If you were to ask me about teams from now, from modern football, I could name two or three teams. But at this moment, I would say Barcelona. It's same style that Santos used to play”, the 73-year-old said.
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This is not the first time that Pele has praised the Catalans. Back in 2012 as well, the former player made his appreciation for Barcelona very clear when he said that the club are the backbone of Spain’s national team.
“I’ve been watching this Barca side a lot lately and they’re like Santos were in my heyday, or the great Benfica, Ajax, AC Milan and Real Madrid sides.
"Barca is the core of the Spanish team. There’s a connection there, just as there was between Ajax and the Dutch national team all those years ago and between Santos and Brazil."
Gerardo Martino’s side are the reigning champions of the Spanish league, and currently third in the table, they are just four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
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