SOCCER: Pele, Maradona and Hugo Sanchez

From Mexico, Raúl Escalante writes: "'Second best' is a reference to Diego Armando Maradona, whom many people (mostly Argentines) regard as the best player of all time. Apparently Pelé gives these comparisons as much weight as they deserve - which is to say that he ignores them.

No-one can deny the genius of Maradona. It is sad that, unlike Pelé, he is far from drug-free and a very poor role model. Drug dependence, however, is not explained by the temptations a youth faces, his success, etc. Hugo Sánchez, the best Mexican player of all time and a contemporary of Maradona, remained "clean" despite his long history of success (among other things he was five-time winner of the top-scorer trophy in the Spanish league, one of the two most competitive leagues in the world).

Watching videos of both Pelé and Maradona playing are extremely exciting experiences - Paul Simon should try them".

My comment: My lack of expertise is evident in the fact that I had never heard of Hugo Sanchez. I suppose that soccer will now disappear from the WAIS radar for another four years.

Ronald Hilton - 7/11/02