Trump Names Pelé as Greatest Footballer Ever, Snubs Messi and Ronaldo

NEW JERSEY, USA – Former U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed in on football’s greatest-of-all-time debate, naming Pelé—not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo—as the greatest footballer of all time.

Trump made the remarks at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, held on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match saw Chelsea defeat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 3-0 in a dominant performance, capping off the first edition of the tournament’s expanded format.

“Pelé Was So Great” — Trump Reminisces

In an interview with DAZN after the match, Trump fondly recalled watching Pelé play for the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. He described Pelé as an inspirational figure during the early days of football’s popularity in the United States.

“Many years ago, when I was young, they brought a player named Pelé to play, and he played for a team called the Cosmos,” Trump said.

“This place was packed. It was an earlier version of this stadium, right here in the Meadowlands. I was a young guy, and I came to watch Pelé, and he was fantastic. I’d say, probably go old-fashioned—like saying Babe Ruth—but Pelé was so great.”

Trump’s Football Nostalgia Ties to National Ambitions

Trump’s appearance at the Club World Cup final also carried political symbolism. He has expressed plans to use the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be hosted across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as a showpiece event for what he calls the “Golden Age of America”—coinciding with America’s 250th Independence anniversary.

With the 2026 final set to take place at MetLife Stadium, the same venue as Sunday’s match, Trump hinted that football could be a unifying and celebratory force during his possible return to the White House.