Tite has dismissed Lionel Messi's credentials as the greatest footballer of all time after insisting comparisons between him and "phenomenal" Brazil legend Pele have "no credibility."
The Brazil coach and Messi exchanged words in Friday's game against Argentina, with Tite claiming the Barcelona forward told him to shut up during the friendly defeat in Riyadh.
Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of Brazil legend Pele scoring his 1,000th goal and, speaking ahead of his side's clash against South Korea in Abu Dhabi the same day, Tite says three-time World Cup winner Pele remains out in front when it comes to the question of whether he or Messi is best player to ever play the game.
He said: "Pele is incomparable. Anybody who wants to compare Pele to any other athlete...do you know what I do? I hear but I don`t listen.
"It's as if this person doesn't know the history of this man's quality... this guy was phenomenal. Once I said that Messi is extraordinary.
Over 600 career goals, 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League trophies, five Ballon d'Or awards and a FIFA Best Player Award – Lionel Messi's list of accomplishments seem never-ending. Here's a look at some of the Argentine's spectacular accolades so far.
First to score in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons
As he scored the opening goal against Slavia Prague on Oct. 23, 2019, Messi became the first player to score in 15 consecutive seasons at the Champions League.
On Aug. 18, 2018, his goal against Deportivo Alavés made him the first player to score in 15 consecutive Spanish league seasons. This was also F.C. Barcelona’s 6,000th goal. The club's 5,000th goal, scored in 2009, was also scored by Messi.
On Feb. 23, 2019, he scored his 50th career hat-trick during a match against Sevilla. His third goal also marked his 650th career strike – 585 for Barcelona and 65 for his national team, Argentina. Presently, he has 51 hat-tricks to his name.
On April 6, thanks to his goal against Atlético Madrid, Messi edged out former Spanish skipper Iker Casillas on the tables with 335 La Liga victories – the highest number of wins in the Spanish league.
The Barcelona icon scored 50 goals from 37 appearances in 2011/12. He almost repeated the feat the following season, scoring 46 times in only 32 games. Ronaldo came closer still during the 2014/15 season, scoring 48 times in 35 games.
Messi's insatiable hunger for goals saw him score 91 in 2012 - 79 for Barcelona and 12 for Argentina. The Guinness World Record holder for most goals in a calendar year, he also holds the record for most goals scored in a domestic season - 73 (2011-12).
The diminutive Argentine has five (2009, '10, '11, '12 and '15) wins to his name. He shares this record with Ronaldo, who won his fifth in December 2017.
Messi, who made his debut in the competition in 2004, against Ukraine's F.C. Shakhtar Donetsk, reached the landmark in 123 games.
Messi and Ronaldo, are the only players to have scored a century of goals in Europe's most prestigious club competition. However, the Portuguese took 144 games to reach the same mark.
The Barcelona superstar was 27 when he reached the landmark. It came during a routine 3-0 league win over S.D. Eibar on Oct. 18, 2014. The record was previously held by Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra, who was 34 when he scored his 250th goal.
Messi has scored Champions League goals in Portugal, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Belarus, Cyprus and, of course, Spain. That adds up to an impressive 23 goals across 16 cities.
Messi is a six-time winner of the Trofeo Pichichi ('09-10, '11-'12, '12-'13, '16-'17, '17-'18, '18-19), which was named after legendary Athletic Bilbao striker Rafael "Pichichi" Moreno. The award is given by leading Spanish sports newspaper Marca and has been given to the top scorer in the league every year since 1952-53.
Always an incendiary fixture, games between sworn rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid acquired an extra edge when Messi faced Ronaldo. The Argentine, however, is comfortably the top scorer with 26 goals to Ronaldo's second-best of 18 .
Despite not enjoying the same level of success at the international level, Messi's goal record is impressive - 68 from 136 appearances. He made his national team debut on Aug. 17, 2005, in a friendly against Hungary that the South Americans won 2-1.
Messi was 18 years, 11 months and 23 days old when he scored at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The goal, also his first for the national team, came in a group stage match against Serbia-Montenegro, which Argentina won 6-0. The South Americans advanced as group winners but were eliminated from the tournament at the quarter final stage by hosts Germany; they were beaten in a penalty shoot-out.
Youngest to make 100 appearances in Champions League
Messi was 28 years and 84 days old when he made his 100th appearance in the competition. The occasion was a group stage match against Italian side A.S. Roma, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on Sept. 16, 2015. The match finished 1-1.
First to score 10+ goals in 13 consecutive La Liga seasons
Messi curled in two superb free kicks in a local derby against R.C.D. Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on Dec. 9, 2018. In doing so, he became the first player in the history of the league to score a minimum of 10 goals, every year, for 13 straight seasons.
Messi has scored a minimum of 20 league goals, every season, starting from 2008-09. His lowest return for a league season was in the first year of this run, when he scored 23 goals from 34 games. He has enjoyed 40+ goal-seasons thrice in this time.
First to score against every team consecutively in a league
On scoring at the Balaídos Stadium in Vigo, Spain, during a 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo, Messi completed a remarkable scoring run during the 2012-13 season – he scored against every team in La Liga that year.
Messi scored 33 goals from 21 appearances during the '12-13 season. He scored a total of 46 goals from 32 games that season. However, his record of 21 games was halted by Atlético Madrid on May 12, 2013.
The soccer superstar topped Forbes' annual list in 2019, with earnings of $127 million.
25/25 SLIDES
"I meant he's extraordinary to the present time and among humans, with his creativity. Pele is out of normal patterns and I'm not saying this because I'm a Brazilian. You can't find a defect.
"If somebody comes to me and starts to make comparisons, for me it has no credibility."
The loss to Argentina meant Brazil are now five matches without victory, yet Tite remains philosophical over the Copa America winners' form.
During that run, which began following Brazil's Copa America victory over Peru, Tite's side have drawn Colombia, Senegal and Nigeria while losing to Argentina and Peru.
He added: "I'm not desperate to win. I'm happy to be where I am. I'm aware of the pressure but I have no desperation. I don't have any of this. What I do want is to make a great game."
Tite has warned South Korea's threat extends far beyond just that of Tottenham forward Son Heung-min.
He added: "We know about Korea's strengths, on their important victory against Germany [in the World Cup] and we respect them. We know about their individual forces, not only Son, but others and the team as a whole."
![Slide 1 of 25]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAIUrdt.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f&x=1803&y=612","size3column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAIUrdt.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f&x=1803&y=612","size2column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAIUrdt.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f&x=1803&y=612"} "Soccer Football - FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi receives his sixth Golden Shoe - Antiga Fabrica Estrel... - Albert Gea/Reuters")
