Continental club titles
2 for Pelé
1 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
Copa Libertadores ×2
Santos · 1962, 1963
Maradona
UEFA Cup ×1
Napoli · 1988–89
Trophy cabinet
Pelé vs Maradona
Every team trophy and major individual award, side by side. As of October 2026.
Pelé
27
team trophies
Diego Maradona
10
team trophies + 1 youth titles
| Pelé | Honour | Diego Maradona |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | World Cup | 1 |
| 2 | Continental club titles | 1 |
| 2 | Intercontinental Cup | 0 |
| 7 | League titles | 3 |
| 1 | Player of the Century | 1 |
Team trophies
Senior honours with club and country. These make up the totals.
Intercontinental Cup
The club world championship of its day, between the champions of South America and Europe.
2 for Pelé
0 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
Intercontinental Cup ×2
Santos · 1962, 1963
Maradona
None
League titles
7 for Pelé
3 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
Campeonato Brasileiro ×6
Santos · 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
NASL Soccer Bowl ×1
New York Cosmos · 1977
Maradona
Argentine Primera División (Metropolitano) ×1
Boca Juniors · 1981
Serie A ×2
Napoli · 1986–87, 1989–90
Domestic cups
0 for Pelé
3 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
None
Maradona
Copa del Rey ×1
Barcelona · 1982–83
Copa de la Liga ×1
Barcelona · 1983
Coppa Italia ×1
Napoli · 1986–87
Super cups
0 for Pelé
1 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
None
Maradona
Supercoppa Italiana ×1
Napoli · 1990
Other club trophies
Santos shared the 1964 Torneio Rio–São Paulo with Botafogo.
13 for Pelé
0 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
Campeonato Paulista ×10
Santos · 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973
Torneio Rio–São Paulo ×3
Santos · 1959, 1963, 1964
Maradona
None
International trophies
The Artemio Franchi Trophy, between the champions of South America and Europe, was the forerunner of today’s Finalissima.
3 for Pelé
2 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
FIFA World Cup ×3
Brazil · 1958, 1962, 1970
Maradona
FIFA World Cup ×1
Argentina · 1986
Artemio Franchi Trophy ×1
Argentina · 1993
Youth titles
Listed for completeness; not counted in the totals.
0 for Pelé
1 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
None
Maradona
FIFA World Youth Championship ×1
Argentina U20 · 1979
Individual awards
The game’s biggest awards for a single player.
FIFA Player of the Century
Shared: a FIFA committee chose Pelé, and an online vote chose Maradona.
1 for Pelé
1 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
FIFA Player of the Century ×1
2000
Maradona
FIFA Player of the Century ×1
2000
Honorary Ballon d’Or
Neither could win the Ballon d’Or itself, which was open only to European players until 1995. Both received honorary awards instead.
1 for Pelé
1 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur ×1
2013
Maradona
Honorary Ballon d’Or ×1
1995
Tournament Golden Ball
The World Cup Golden Ball was introduced in 1982, after Pelé’s last World Cup.
0 for Pelé
2 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
None
Maradona
FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Ball ×1
1979
World Cup Golden Ball ×1
1986
South American Footballer of the Year
First awarded in 1971, near the end of Pelé’s career.
1 for Pelé
6 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
South American Footballer of the Year ×1
1973
Maradona
South American Footballer of the Year ×6
1979, 1980, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992
Top scorer awards
The Metropolitano and Nacional were the two Argentine Primera División championships of each season. Maradona shared the 1978 and 1979 Metropolitano awards.
15 for Pelé
7 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
South American Championship top scorer ×1
1959
Intercontinental Cup top scorer ×2
1962, 1963
Copa Libertadores top scorer ×1
1965
Campeonato Paulista top scorer ×11
1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973
Maradona
Metropolitano top scorer ×3
1978, 1979, 1980
Nacional top scorer ×2
1979, 1980
Serie A top scorer ×1
1987–88
Coppa Italia top scorer ×1
1987–88
League Player of the Season
1 for Pelé
0 for Diego Maradona
Pelé
NASL Most Valuable Player ×1
1976
Maradona
None
Records
Pelé
- The only player to win the World Cup three times: 1958, 1962 and 1970.
- The youngest World Cup winner and the youngest scorer in a World Cup final, at 17 in 1958.
- 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, friendlies included: the Guinness World Record for career goals.
- 643 goals for Santos in official matches, the club’s record.
- Seven goals in the Intercontinental Cup, the most in its history, including its only hat-trick.
- Top scorer in the Campeonato Paulista 11 times, including 58 goals in 1958, a record for one season.
- 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil, second only to Neymar.
Diego Maradona
- Joint FIFA Player of the Century with Pelé, in 2000.
- Scored the Goal of the Century against England at the 1986 World Cup, voted by FIFA.com users in 2002.
- Twice broke the world transfer record: to Barcelona in 1982 and to Napoli in 1984.
- Led Napoli to their first two Serie A titles, in 1986–87 and 1989–90.
- Napoli’s all-time top scorer, with 115 goals, until Marek Hamšík overtook him in 2017.
- Top scorer in five Argentine Primera División tournaments with Argentinos Juniors, from 1978 to 1980.
- 21 matches at four World Cups, from 1982 to 1994, with two finals.
As of October 2026. Totals count senior team trophies won with club and country, including Brazilian state championships and the Torneio Rio–São Paulo; youth titles are listed separately. Pelé’s six Brazilian titles are the 1961–65 Taça Brasil and the 1968 Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, recognised as national championships by the CBF in 2010. Friendly and invitational trophies are not included. Seasons follow each competition’s own naming.