Brazilian soccer legend Zico feels Barcelona star Lionel Messi is almost at the level of his fellow countryman Diego Maradona, but Pele is the greatest of all time. The Selecao legend Zico also insisted that lack of success on the international stage works against five-time Baloon d’Or winner when it comes to selecting the best ever.

So far, Messi is enjoying yet another sensational season with La Liga giants having already scored 15 times in as many games for Barcelona in La Liga. Messi has won everything with Barcelona, yet Zico thinks he is still not at the same level as Maradona was in his heyday.

Zico also ranks Pele above both Messi and Maradona because he had “everything”.

“Messi is close to Maradona,” Zico told Omnisport. “That means, in my opinion, he can’t be compared to Pele. I still consider Maradona in front of Messi. With Pele, no. Pele has all the qualities and characteristic that a football player has to have.”

“When God created him [Pele], he put every quality a footballer needs; speed, strength, impulse, technique, kicking ability, heading, dribbling – all of it, everything that a player might have,” the director of Kashima Antlers added.

Zico further said, “Few people could jump like him for a header. He is 170 centimetres tall. His foundations are perfect, [he had] mastery of the ball, [and mastery of] headers. He improved in every way. Everything you can imagine from a player, Pele has done it.”

Though Zico feels Messi does possess most of the qualities of the best player, the lack of success of the Barcelona star on the international stage is what sets Pele and Maradona apart from him.

“[Messi has] almost everything, but he doesn’t have the World Cup titles that Pele has. This [means] a lot,” Zico said.

“Because, I think Maradona played, like in our period, with a player in his back all the time. Maradona has done a lot for his clubs, as Messi does, and for the Argentina national team. Maradona was a world champion,” He added.

Heaping praises on Maradona he added, “Maradona has always stood out in the big competitions, and in a moment where Argentina was not a favourite with so many stars, like today, [when they have] high-level players in the big European teams.

“I think he didn’t play in a team like Messi plays in for Barcelona today. He didn’t have a [Gerard] Pique, an [Andres] Iniesta, a [Luis] Suarez, a Xavi or a Neymar beside him like Messi has today.”

Lionel Messi-led Barcelona would return to action on Sunday after the winter break when they will take on Getafe.