U.S. President Donald Trump made an appearance at the Club World Cup final held on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. While speaking to sports broadcaster DAZN, Trump was asked to name the greatest football player of all time—a question that typically draws answers like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, Trump offered a different perspective.
He recalled, “Many years ago, when I was young, they brought a player named Pele to play, and he played for a team called the Cosmos."
“He was the inspiration we had, and this place was packed. It was an earlier version of this stadium, but right here in the Meadowlands, and it was Pele. I don’t want to date myself, but that was a long time ago. I was a young guy, and I came to watch Pele and he was fantastic. And I would I’d say, probably I’ll go old fashioned.
“That’s like saying Babe Ruth, but I would say Pele was so great."
Donald Trump reveals who he believes is the greatest football playerGLOBAL HOME OF FOOTBALL | Live All Summer Long | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld @emilyraustin pic.twitter.com/PO8id5tfAw
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 13, 2025
Trump’s comments referred to Pele’s influential time with the New York Cosmos in the mid-1970s, when the Brazilian legend played a key role in boosting soccer's popularity in the United States through the North American Soccer League.
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