At...level when it comes to...

[Xavier da Silva]

Hello everyone,

Do "at...level" (as good as, as important as, etc) + "when it comes" (as regards, when the situation entails) sound natural/correct in the examples that I created below in current colloquial everyday conversation?

a. Messi isn't at Pelé's level when it comes to soccer. Pelé was a much better soccer player.
b. This new Brazilian movie is at the level of the best movies ever made when it comes to production.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Barque]

a. Messi isn't at Pelé's level when it comes to soccer. Pelé was a much better soccer player.

The words "when it comes to soccer" sound odd to me. That's probably the only common talent they have, the one that'd be known to people generally at least, so specifying it seems unnecessary. I'd expect just Messi isn't at Pele's level.

b. This new Brazilian movie is at the level of the best movies ever made when it comes to production.

I don't find this very natural either. I'd say "This new Brazilian movie [is as good as any/ranks with the best] in terms of production quality" or something similar.

 

[kentix]

a. Messi isn't at Pelé's level when it comes to soccer. Pelé was a much better soccer player.

I agree with Barque on the sentence above.

a. Messi isn't at Pelé's level when it comes to knitting. Pelé was a much better knitter.

There is no other purpose in comparing them except as soccer players so that "when it comes to" phrase is pointless. What you can do, is compare some of their skills.

a. Messi isn't at Pelé's level when it comes to creative scoring. Pelé was a much better scorer. [I have no idea whether that's true. It's just a made-up example.]

Although the grammar of the second example is fine it's just wordier than the kind of sentence we would normally say. Barque's sentence seems much more likely.