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Message: [QUOTE="IthacaMatt, post: 4492444, member: 405"] Well, I'm guessing you can't read the article, Steve. They do a good job of pointing out how the great European players like DeStefano and Cruyf played at a time that the European leagues were not so international, so the leagues were not as tough competition as they are now. They also pointed out that someone like Diego Maradona, a rare South American star in Italy in the 80s and 90s, had several seasons when he didn't even get 10 goals, compared to Messi and Ronaldo piling up 40 and 50 goal seasons against better competition. Pele, of course, never played in Europe. Although one might argue that the Brazilian and Argentinian domestic leagues were undoubtedly better then than they are now, when all the top talent leaves for Europe for the big pay day. [/QUOTE]