Pelé vs Ivan Rakitić: Stats Compared
Forward, Brazil (born 1940, retired 1977) · Central Midfielder, Croatia (born 1988, retired 2023)
Ask any fan to rank Pelé above or below Ivan Rakitić and you will get a passionate answer. Beyond the numbers, each man brought a singular aesthetic to the pitch. By the end Pelé had 757 goals from 812 caps and club outings; Ivan Rakitić had 90 from 700. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Pelé is credited with 0 and Ivan Rakitić with 90. Trophy counts give Pelé 14 and Ivan Rakitić 6, with 3× FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962, 1970) and 1× UEFA Champions League (2015) the standout honours respectively. Pelé played with a explosive that made him unmistakable; Ivan Rakitić brought a orchestrating that was equally his own. The wider career context matters too: Pelé peaked around 1970 after representing Santos, New York Cosmos, while Ivan Rakitić's defining level came around 2015 across Basel, Schalke 04, Sevilla, Barcelona, Sevilla, Hajduk Split. Whichever side you land on, both belong in any conversation about the finest of their generation.
175 words · comparison angle: style
Player profiles
Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Pelé is the only player to win three FIFA World Cups. FIFA recognises 757 official senior career goals (1,281 including friendlies).
“A two-footed, athletic forward who combined explosive pace, aerial ability and extraordinary vision.”
A key architect of Barcelona's 2015 treble and Croatia's run to the 2018 World Cup final, Rakitić combined tireless work rate with excellent passing range.
“A tireless, technically composed box-to-box midfielder whose range of passing linked defence and attack seamlessly.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 3× FIFA World Cup (1958, 1962, 1970)
- 2× Copa Libertadores (1962, 1963)
- 2× Intercontinental Cup (1962, 1963)
- 6× Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
- 1× NASL Soccer Bowl (1977)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (2015)
- 1× UEFA Europa League (2014)
- 4× La Liga (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1956 Professional debut for Santos aged 15
- 1958 Became youngest World Cup goalscorer at 17
- 1959 Top scorer in the Campeonato Brasileiro
- 1962 Won second World Cup despite injury in the final
- 1969 Scored his 1,000th career goal
- 1975 Came out of semi-retirement to join New York Cosmos
- 1977 Honoured at Pelé Day halftime show at Giants Stadium
- 2005 Professional debut for Basel
- 2015 Won UEFA Champions League with Barcelona
- 2015 Won La Liga with Barcelona
- 2015 Reached the peak of his powers at Barcelona
- 2023 Retired after a final spell at Hajduk Split
- Finished his career with 90 goals in 700 appearances and 6 major honours. Finished his career with 90 goals in 700 appearances and 6 major honours.
The verdict
The numbers give Pelé the lead — a decisive margin, courtesy of a sharper goalscoring record.
Pelé edges it (a decisive margin)
