With all his off-field controversies, it's easy for the modern football fan to overlook just how much of an inspiration Maradona was to everyone he played with, but he was no stranger toquite literally dragging his team-mates along; something Messi has never had to do.. However, not all fans love Messi. They are both strategists and team players, and they are both highly technical with the ball, which seems attached with Velcro to their feet, only to be shot with devastating force when circumstances are favorable. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Even the Ballon dOr awards were initially not focused on the Argentine, who was delivering the goods with the likes of Boca Juniors and Argentinos Juniors. When you consider Messi has had to contend with a standard of defending that Maradona was never consistently faced with, then, you probably have to give this one to the current Barcelona captain, whose consistency levels over the course of his career are nothing short of freakish., No debate to be had here, really. In 1998, before the World Cup in France, Fifa cracked down on tackles from behind and made it a serious offence. Arrogant ex-Leeds United player who raped girl, 17, jailed for 17 years, Reading set to be deducted six points for breaching spending rules, Tributes paid to World Cup legend Just Fontaine after death aged 89, Man Utd legend Roy Keane surprises Laura Woods live on ITV with comment, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. What IND vs AUS: Why did the Indore pitch offer wicked turn and variable bounce on the morning of Day 1? WebIn conclusion, yes, Diego Maradona is better than Lionel Messi. He is a goal scorer first and a playmaker later. He has to go to jail. And that for me was a huge thing.". Overall, I would say that Messi is the greatest player of all time. So, if that really is the case, how does that compare to Maradona in 1986? 16 Who has won the most trebles in Scottish football? The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards. Messi might not be a very physically imposing player, but he has the low centre of gravity that enables him to achieve quick movements on the field with amazing ease. Lionel Messi has been able to break numerous scoring records, win several collective honours with Barcelona, and take up more Ballon dOr awards than any other player. Lionel Messi vs Diego Maradona: Who had better World Cup stats in their prime? Right then, well, let the data do the talking as we see who the statistics think had the better World Cup prime out of Messi and Maradona down below: Shots on target per game: Maradona 1.9-1.1 Messi, Goals from outside the box: Messi 3-0 Maradona, Key passes per game: Maradona 3.9-3.3 Messi, Long ball accuracy: Messi 79%-71% Maradona, Football - Argentina v Bosnia-Herzegovina - FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 - Group F - Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 15/6/14, Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his team's second and his first goal, Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Jed Leicester, Crossing accuracy: Messi 29%-24% Maradona, Successful dribbles: Messi 63%-59% Maradona, Was fouled per game: Maradona 7.6-2.6 Messi, Possession lost per game: Messi 20.9-21.7 Maradona, Possession won per game: Maradona 0.6-0.6 Messi, Interceptions per game: Maradona 0.9-0.3 Messi, Average match rating: Maradona 8.39-7.86 Messi, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - JUNE 29: Argentina captain Diego Maradona holds aloft the trophy after the FIFA 1986 World Cup final match against West Germany at the Azteca Stadium on June 29th, 1986 in Mexico City, Mexico. As such, it's only a natural leap to have seen people tapping their watches in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and now 2022 in anticipation of Messi surely one day replicating his forebear by winning the biggest trophy of all single-handedly. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The Argentine lawyer Luis Moreno Ocampo, who has put the screws to genocidal strongmen and placed dictators behind bars, isn't sure whether Donald Trump should be tried for the Jan. 6 riot. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. On the international stage, both now have a World Cup winners medal, almost four decades apart. Whereas Maradona was brash and brutally charming, Messi was introverted, clean-cut and unemotional. "It's like playing soccer with Messi.". It is difficult to put a price on this contribution from Maradona, who is truly the greatest the world has seen. Collectively, Ronaldo has won 32 senior trophies in his career. An incredible career with Manchester United that led to the Premier League and Champions League success only got better at Real Madrid. Even though Messi has achieved a lot in his career, he has undoubtedly been helped by an excellent squad. According to my friend, the Napoli fans went crazy with enthusiasm and for several minutes applauded and cheered Maradona. First of all, the game was different in the 1980s and early 90s. Naples Mayor Luigi De Magistris proposed that the citys San Paolo Stadium be renamed after Maradona. "Hes an icon. And Shilton, [the British goalkeeper] jumping with his eyes shut, was outraged! "Spielberg is an actor in U.S. life because he defines narratives. He was an unlikely choice as co-counsel to Julio Csar Strassera, the esteemed veteran barrister who mustered the gruesome evidence against Lt. Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla, Adm. Emilio Eduardo Massera, Brig.-Gen. Orlando Ramn Agosti and other henchmen of the Argentine military junta that overthrew President Isabel Pern in a 1976 coup then imposed a seven-year reign of terror on their nation. His two goals against the British team in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico City are now legendary. The majority of footballers, though, consider a World Cup triumph as the ultimate accolade. So it's by no means a whitewash, don't get it twisted, but Maradona holding his own in the stats just about seals the deal considering that his winners' medal and 'Goal of the Century' probably gave him the edge to start with. Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi are two of the greatest footballers of all time. He was a more creative forward who knew how to find the back of the net with accuracy and inspiration. Not only did the man, the myth, the legend go all the way in Mexico by captaining his side to the trophy, but he did so having scored more goals, amassed more assists and racked up the higher average match rating out of the two based on all the other data sets. Yet, Maradona shined in an era where players were given little protection against physical challenges. While Maradona was a fighter against the world, Messi seems to be a naturally timid, even modest person. he'll exclaim over some or other outrage or absurdity Moreno Ocampo is known as a judicious and meticulous compiler of material facts. The physical characteristics of both players are similar; they are both short, sturdy, and have a demoniacal speed which allows them to easily overcome their opponents. Diego Maradona considers Lionel Messi and Diego Messi to be the greatest players of all time. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. You can buy your Maradona World Cup t-shirt in the GMS store. He won a league title with Barcelona, where his lasting legacy was to come in the brand of football they played with him going on to manage the club and become one of the most influential people in football. And it's clear from his remarks on the Oath Keepers and their ilk that he's been watching the damning facts pile up against Trump. Was fouled per game: Maradona 7.6-2.6 Messi. In terms of pure skill Maradona was even more magical than Messi. His ball control, the precision of his shots and the things he did in training ar A career that started with Argentinos Juniors in 1976 quickly transformed into a visual treat for spectators around the world. Even then, it was only a snapshot of what he could do with the ball at his feet. Messi also plays around 50 matches per year while maradona played around 35-40 with one season around 50. But its a debate worth delving into. Maradona, on the other hand, had three league championships and a Uefa Cup to his credit. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. I felt I was pick pocketing the English.. It is in their personal characteristics where one can find the real differences between them. Messi scored twice in the 3-3 final draw with France and netted in the WebLionel Messi is Argentina's second great superstar after Diego Maradona (Owen Humphreys/PA) Maradona's heir-apparent, Messi has yet to hit the levels of adulation in FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS - BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS. Messi was born on the 4th of August 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. Messi is the first Argentine to captain the side to glory since Maradona Credit: AFP. Messi beats Maradona hands down if greatness is judged solely on numbers. The modern player is governed at various levels by science and data, which have helped extract the maximum possible performance out of his talent. Furthermore, although Maradona is now in retirement, he continues to influence football matches through interviews and presentations. Football - Germany v Argentina - FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 - Final - Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 13/7/14, Argentina's Lionel Messi (L) in action with Germany's Toni Kroos, Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl Recine. You can find all of the latestfootballnewsand rumours right here. Messi won it in 2014. There was no precedent for such a dangerous and consequential legal undertaking, so it would require a daring, creative approach to assemble the case a flair for innovation and improvisation that Strassera glimpsed in his young associate. On the pitch, Maradona hardly had any protection from match officials. His overall record 71 goals in 142 games looks good thanks to a string of goals in friendly matches. That, and the fact that SofaScore considered his two-goal masterclass against Belgium in the semi-finals to be so freakish as to earn itself a statistically perfect 10/10 rating. He scored five goals and registered five assists as he inspired an otherwise unremarkable Argentina team to that 1986 win. An ultra-consistent performer, Messi has scored almost 800 career goals for club and country. (Photo by Mike King/Allsport/Getty Images/Hulton Archive). Only Pel, Diego Maradona and George Best can really compare." After 12 years playing in his homeland and Colombia, his move to Real transformed them into a European super power. Messi's great contemporary rival, their comparison is probably the easiest as for nine seasons they played in the same league at comparable clubs. Messi has played all his club football for Barcelona, Spanish footballs royalty. And then he became the most famous person in the world from a person full of limits, to no limits. Especially in the 80s, after Italy won the 1982 World Cup, playing ultra-defensive and reactive football but still subduing Brazils on-pitch poetry, catenaccio (door-bolt, a defensive system) or its variants became en vogue. Messi has won 10 league titles and four Champions League titles. Ronaldo won four Champions League and two LaLiga titles with Real, having arrived with three Premier League winners' medals, and now has two Serie A titles. 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Not for the first time, Moreno Ocampo lets out a laugh that lands somewhere between a cackle and a guffaw a gackle which may seem surprising from a guy whos stared so long and hard into the abyss: digging into the genocide in Darfur; investigating Libyan dictator Moammar Kadafi for crimes against humanity;prying open the brutality of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army, whose tactics while rampaging across four African countries included mutilation and child-sex slavery. Published on February 15, 2021 In 142 appearances for Argentina, Messi has scored 71 goals as against Maradonas who operated from a deeper position 34 in 91 international matches. Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Wayne Rooney are his top three choice for the best soccer player of all time. He kept his word. 2023 Minute Media - All rights reserved. EastEnders 'to introduce major new family'. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Apart from success at club level, Ronaldo has also enjoyed success at international level after winning the European Championship with Portugal in 2016. Moreno Ocampo saw it while working on the trial depicted in "Argentina 1985. So it was a lot of fun, our first meeting, because I was wanting to ask him questions about the trial and he was the one who was interrogating me. "A hat trick," he says. He has set The transformation of his career from a great player to the greatest would come about when he made a world record transfer to Real Madrid in 2009. . He scored in each of their five successive European Cup victories and single-handedly drove them to their first league triumph in 20 years in his first season at the club, one of eight he would win at the Bernabeu in addition to his two Ballons d'Or. Both men have been hailed as geniuses of the game, and both have had stellar careers. Both players gave their all (still giving, in Messi's case) and have nothing left to prove to anyone. Sorry Lionel, but it looks like what most fans would have predicted ahead of time has actually come to pass: 1986 Maradona was simply playing football from another planet. Moreno Ocampo agrees, pointing out that his own book about the Argentina trial sold around 10,000 copies, whereas the Amazon-distributed "Argentina 1985" will be seen by millions. His second goal, however, after he dribbled several opponents including the goalkeeper- was considered by the Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) the best goal of the century. His grandfather was a general and his mother's two brothers were colonels, one of whom visited Gen. Videla in prison during the trial to apologize for his nephew's behavior and promised that he would never speak with Moreno Ocampo again. 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