JOHN BARNES

The England icon shares his love for a World Cup legend, two civil rights heroes and his own inspirational father

- Interview Ed McCambridge

PELE

“In my opinion, Diego Maradona is the greatest player ever, but for his various antics away from the field, I can’t say I admired him as a person so much. I'd rather choose somebody I admire both on and off the field. It has to be Pele in terms of what he achieved, how he played the game, his humility and what he did for his people in Brazil. Pele falls only just short of Maradona on the pitch, but from a human perspective, he was a level above most. He was respectful to people and to his club, Santos. He gave everything for them and didn’t feel the need to come and play in Europe. A true legend of the game.”

NELSON MANDELA