Is Messi better than Maradona?
To say that Argentina's Lionel Messi has been in scintillating form of late for club side Barcelona is an understatement up there with U.S. health care being a tricky issue.
His coach Pep Guardiola has run out of superlatives to describe him, while club president Joan Laporta claims he is the greatest to have ever played soccer. A bold statement maybe, but recent statistics show why those who have been lucky enough to watch the diminutive destroyer of defenses in Spain have been seduced into lavishing praise on the attacker.
The reigning World Player of the Year's goal-scoring form this season has been staggering. The 22-year-old has already beaten his total from last year of 23 goals - a season in which his team completed an unprecedented capture of three trophies (the domestic title, domestic cup and the European Champions League) - with 11 games left of the campaign.
The completion of his third hat-trick of the season against Real Zaragoza on Sunday, his second in as many league matches, takes Messi's tally to 11 goals from his last five appearances and means he is currently averaging more than a goal a game.
However, it is not just the number of goals he has scored but the manner in which he has helped his team to victory. In his last three appearances Messi has bamboozled and obliterated his opponents with a poetic mix of pace, poise and panache reminiscent of Diego Maradona in his prime.
Impressive, but how do we know if he is the greatest player ever? It is far easier to tell once the career of a player is over rather while it is still in full swing, so there is distance enough from the achievements for some kind of perspective and analysis. To call it now is tough; much depends on Argentina's performance at the forthcoming World Cup and Messi's role in their success.
There have been many revered players of the game - George Best, Ryan Giggs, George Weah, Eric Cantona to mention but a few - but to be placed above Maradona and Pele in the pantheon of greats, Messi must surely match their heroics on the biggest stage of all.
What set these two South American soccer stars apart from the myriad of contenders was how they focused their awesome talents to deliver when the pressure was at its most intense and how they etched their name in history by helping their nations become world champions through creative and compelling football (Maradona with Argentina in 1986 and Brazil's Pele in 1958, 1962 and 1970).
Messi certainly has the ability to reach these heights, but it is the delivery of such success that would seal his greatness.
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messi is one of the greatest around now but l don't think what he's done so far can be compare to the likes of pele. to me pele is the greatest and will be for a long time to see someone being compare to him.
I think Messi is better than maradona. But the question remains, can Argentina beat Germany in World Cup 2010. It is gonna be a hard task indeed!
No Thierry Henry from his prime at Arsenal.
magic and team is what is needed to become such a great player,and messi is playing with the best at this moment in the world for me right now,keep it up as much as you can
Nice write up. For me is still too early to rank Messi equal or above the likes of Maradona and Pele, while because he is in form under a club that has great players, team work and a quality technical crew that can read matches at all levels.
I have a question, what was messi's performance during fifa world cup qualifiers which argentina struggled and managed to qualify? Maradona and Pele were all one man squard for their countries victory in their time. Can messi be a one man squard for argentina in south africa? Watch for your self.
So please don't insult maradona and pele again because messi is still far below their class.
Brazilian Ronaldo still better than Messi... but Messi has a chance to be better.
Time will tell us... for now is a promise to become one of the greatest or even THE greatest...
But, no doubt he is a great player.
Messi is gud...he has the flair of a gud player. he knows wen has to dribble and shoot... Maradonna in his time was equally gud... no wonder they r all argentines
Please don't ever compare him with Great Maradona now is too early, the records are there he sigle handedly wake the dead club from relegation back to Serie A, given his Country victory (World cup) with the effort of his colleagues please let us look beyond 'hand of God' after all biten is part of fight. But for now they are clearly different, the young man is still in service so let wait and see.
OF COURSE YES HE IS THE BEST AT THIS MOMENT FOR WHAT HE HAS ACHEIVED IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS PLUS HE IS ALREADY A HISTORY ON HIS OWN MERITS AND COMPARING MESSI TO OLD RECORDS AND FADDED PLAYERS IS AS GOOD AS AN INSULT TO HIM...HE IS A STAR OF TODAY AND WOULD REMAIN UNTILL A NEW BETTER MESSI IS BORN.
No doubts.
He is better than Maradona 100 times. By the time maradona was playing, the players were having second job for living and playing football just for fun. today this game is a proffesional game and players earn milions.
Another thing that makes Messi better is that he knows how to behave, unlike maradona who is an ego-maniac.
Messi is the greatest.
Messi, in his current form is the best in the world right now. His skills are out of this world, however, to be considered to be in the same rank as Pele or Maradona, he has to be a world cup winner. If he can produce in the biggest football stage of the world in South Africa and can help Argentina win the WC, then at that point he would be up there with Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo.
He is yet to win a world cup. South Africa 2010 will be the acid test. He is very good at club level but has not replicated this at the national level. Too early to compare him with Maradona or Pele.
Messi is a delight to watch. I can watch his highlights for hours. What Maradona did in 1986 was amazing and in my opinion no player even Pele had an impact on a single world cup that Maradona had. I believe Messi is as good as Maradona and the best in the world today however I doubt he will have the same impact on a world cup level because to begin with (i) despite the fact that Argentina has phenomenal talent they have not translated that into a team (ii) They have a manager (Maradona) who hasn't proved he is capable or smart enough to manage a team nor has he been able to manage his personal life after soccer.
On a club level Barcelona showed that they are vulnerable to the long ball against Zaragoza and clubs will exploit that getting into the final stages of the Champions league and La Liga. My predictions Manchester United will win the Champions League and Real Madrid will win La Liga.
Messi is a great player. Demosstrar will Maradorna it's better when you win the South African world and is runner-up in the next, and recently compared.-
George Best, Ryan Giggs, George Weah, Eric Cantona – these players have never achieved much with their countries and thus should have never been compared to Messi.
Messi will definitely end up among top five greatest player ever
I´m from Brazil and everybody knows that we are five times champion of the world.
I wouldn´t like to compare Messi and Pele because it´s ridiculous.
I can compare Maradona and Messi, and my point of view Maradona is better than Messi.
Viva Brasil – Rumo ao Hexa!
Messi by far is the best futbol player alive, and on his way to be the greatest in history. ..... Ronaldo better than Messi??? are you mad????
Maradona is better than Messi.
Please don't insult our intelligence because Messi is not close to Maradonna. Maradonna at club level and Country was the best. Remeber that Iniester and Xavi are even better than Messi and Barca have a very good team. He has not even won a world cup. PLease people are entitled to their opinions but not to their own set of facts.
Messi is the best player right now, but if you only time will tell if he remains the best, For example, look at Ronaldinho. He looked like the prodigee for Pele, and he could have been the best, but then he went down for the worst, Could that happen with Messi? As I said, only time will tell.
Brazilian Ronaldo at Messi's age, had won a WC (in 94) won the Player of the Year award twice and led Brasil to the 98 WC final. Messi is not there yet, but he could be in the future
Please never compare the great Pele of Brazil. Pele himself is a soccer so what are will talking about. instead of comparing this guy with Pele or Maradona are you telling me that this guy is better than Zidane or Ronaldo even Wayne Ronnie please do your finding very well. Has he won any serious league like Laliga,Champions league and World Cup.?. Anyway is quite capable of winning them but is too early to tell. Having says all these Lionel Messil has what is take to re-write the history of football in the coming South African World Cup fiesta.
The worlds greatest player have won the world cup, Pele, Maradona, Zidane. He is a great player and he can even be better, but we have to wait if he achieves anything with Argentina.
The game is different in that players are stronger, faster, and have greater skills. Pele and Maradona are legends in their own right, but a question remains. Could the likes of Pele or Maradona play with the level of talent of today? The comparison would have to be based on either quantitative or qualitative examples. Messi is an amazing quality player nontheless with great strength, speed, and agility, but I believe Messi would have to earn a world cup first as a right of passage to be ranked among the legends of yesterday. Without a doubt Messi is one player to keep an eye on in the years to come and more so in the upcoming world cup which could be a defining moment for an aspiring player.
With all due respect to Barcelona, questions about players greatness are not answered during club games, domestic or even international. There is only one venue to answer these questions, it is World Cup. Last time Messi did not get enough playing time. So this discussion is pointless until WC 2010 is over. Then we will know about Lionel Messi. He will start to build his legacy and in 2014 and 2018 will need to prove it as well. Remember '98 final France-Brazil? The whole world (including Brazilians) knew that Zidane is the goal scorer, and what happened? Zidane scored two. That's greatness.
As a 22-year-old man, he's no longer a "promise" player. He is a player. What he is going to show us during the 2010 World Cup will determine him as a national hero or as national disappointment.
Maradona is better than Messi at moment until Messi can win the World Cup ,Messi play well for Barcelona does not mean he will play better for Argentina ,in Barcelona he was supporting by great player like Xavi ,Henry ,Zlatan etc , and Barcelona and Argentina are two different team ,he can only compare to Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronney at moment .
Every single player is a legend to their own. Why do we need to compare them with others? Is there any necessity?
Different generation, different environment and different games as well. It is unfair to compare those still in play players with those legends.
It is wise, at least to me, by giving comment after we have check out those players performance for the up coming FIFA World Cup.
In my point of view, to describe how well a player is only come after the player proves that how efficient he can work as a team even his team mates are just a line of normal players and how can he turns the match from huge gap losing to a winning.
maradona just the only one
Sorry my mistake he has won some leagues but let wait for World Cup. I wish him best of luck in up coming tornerment.
the Best player in the history, and a great kid!!!
Messi is good...very good. But Maradona was GREAT, even though he had attitude/personality problems......
You can't compare Messi to Giggs or Gerrard or Zidane or Maldini or even Henry. Maradona is the closest comparison, and while he may not be "greater" than Maradona yet, Messi is definitely more skilled at his age, Maradona had freekicks though, but was (substantially) physically bigger and more powerful. Messi had growth deficiencies when he was younger.
And the World Cup/competitions like that are mostly out of Messi's hands, even if he performs brilliantly his team is terribly managed (by Maradona by the way) and are on bad form, opponents can get away with double/triple marking him in the national team. It's not such a measure of greatness anyway, Eusebio never won, many great players haven't got a World Cup to their name.
romario was much better
Also Messi I think has won more at his age than Maradona anyway, especially more European Cups.
Messi is gd bt in al respect, Xavi en Iniesta make his profile adorable. Its like in Chelsea when Essien does his thing Drogba scores. Play Xavi in his position and you will have to rewrite this article !
Messi is and will be the greatest ever, he is soccer perfection,ergo " Soccer God "
I gave Messi a new name..."Crazy Feet". I think he is much better than Maradona. He's the best in the world, no questions asked.
Really funny. Who says that, Pele is better than Messi? If you take into account the defenders from Pele's time and compare to current ones, it's obvious that Pele could do nothing if he played now. Messi is really fantastic, but is he really better than Maradona, it still needs time to see.
zidane is the greatest player of all time
he won on every level, and changed the game
CNN question of the day should read – Is Lionel Messi a better footballer than Diego Maradona was? Yes, No & Who are Messi and Maradona.
he is the greatest.
Come on? You´re kidding..Messi better than Maradona and Pele? It´s a sort of joke? How many thophy he has won as a football player. None at all. Poor Argentina had suffering in world cup qualifier to get the the last vaccancy back to South African 2010. Just because he has score goals in a wood leg teem, this means nothing at all. We shsll see in the 2010 world cup.
Messi is a great player with great skill but he has not acomplished what maradona and pele have and others like ronaldo and romario
but Messi is still young and very talented so only time can tell
Messi is better than Maradona. He has played in a much tougher ,faster and quicker game. Amazing when it comes down to destroying defenses. He has unmatched ability to score. Not only that if you watched Maradona play, he only played with one leg, unlike messi can pass, kick and handle with both. He has a greater advantage over maradona.
Zidane ladies.. Zidane!!!!
Messi way better that Maradona but way below Pele
It's unfair to judge Messi on the performance of his team during the upcoming World Cup because there are also management issues that he has little to say about. It's the same if we were compare Maradona's legacy based on his performance outside the the world Cup alone. Both are equally great players in my view but each in his own domain.
How much gols did Pele reach ??? No more questions or doubts, the numbers answer.
Messi is the best player in the world at this point. He not only great individually, but makes everyone around him better. It is too early to judge him against the all-time greats. However, to be considered he will have to win a world cup to be considered in the top 5 as have Pele, Maradona, the "Kaiser", etc.
messi is the number one player on the planet today.
pele won three world cups, that makes him the best player on the planet of all times.
period
The best player in the world Today!. True all around Champ on and off the field. The Best. The game is much faster today. It just seemed as if they moved slowly in the day??? Maybe it was because of the camera's angles back in the day. I feel there is more super talent today then yesterday.
He's certainly got the talent to be the greatest player of history. Specialy when you're comparing Messi at the age of 22 and for example Maradona, pele or cruyff. And even beside that, football is way more higher levelled than in the past. But after all i agree with the text off wyatt; LEADING your country to the worldcup.
Messi playing good but don't compaire with pela,zico,Maradona ,zidane.
Please reserve your comments until June after Messi and indeed Argentina would have crumbled under the powerful wings of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Messi never played at the same level for his national team. If he gets tired during this season, he may not play at the same level in South Africa.
One important thing: Messi is yet to beat Brazil in a game. It's been a while since he last did it. Actually, he never plays well against Brazil. I believe it is because his Master, Ronaldinho, is Brazilian, and that he learned more from brazilian football players than from argentinian ones.
He's now accomplishing the same things Ronaldinho did in 2005. Let's see his form now in his national team. Me? Brazil, of course!
messi is never better than the real Ronaldo. He doesn't have the speed and the power of ronaldo. he has a great team and that is what makes him look so good. the spanish league is also a joke for the big teams. he should proove himself in other competitions. messi has been eclipsed by players like kaka when paying against brazil in the last 3 years. World cup would be a real test.
I know this is a pointless story aimed at stirring up idiotic comparisons and normally I never bite, but how could I resist that headline??? I dare anyone to argue against Maradona! Seriously, go to youtube later and watch a few of the clips then ask the question Messi or Maradona or Anyone or Maradona! Don't get me wrong, I don't support Real Madrid and I do think he's probably the best player in the world at the moment but I could name at least a dozen players throught he years that were better! Cruyff, Best, Eusebio, Zico, Pele, Dalglish for starters. It depends on what you think the definition of greatest is- numbers of trophies, standard of leagues they were in etc- I think it's really all of these but mainly it's about how important they are to their particular team- take Messi out of the Barcelona team and they're still a great team- take Maradona out of Napoli/Argentina circa 1980's and they were nothing, no world cup victory as he pretty much won that single-handedly ( excuse the pun). Get used to these arguements though- as the average youngster hasn't seen Maradona play and will opt for the current players like Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney and believe it or not Beckham because they have no frame of reference! Please come back with this question when he's retired because he hasn't walked the walk yet!
I think it is unfair to Messi to say that it depends on Argentina's success in the world cup whether he can be compared to other great players. No player ever won a world cup without a great team behind him. No player, not even Pele, ever won a world cup on his own.
Independent of Argentine's success or failure, with the technology of today, we should be able to judge objectively and scientifically Messi's football and not depend on fleeting popular opinion. Fleeting popular opinion has long forgotten the best ever Brazilian football produced by the team that never won a world cup,( i.e the Brazilian team of the 80s) simply because they didn't win the world cup.
I have seen most of the greats in my time and I can sincerely say I never saw them do what I have seen Messi do regularly during the last two or three years ( and each year he seems to be getting better).
So to be fair to Messi and to all the other greats, let's have a scietific comparison, and not just a populist one based on teams' success.
I didn't like and will never like any Argentinian soccer player especially the Hand of God cheater Maradona.
Messi is not maradona because he has not won a world cup for Argentina. He is very young so he might win one. But nobody can deny that a footballers ultimate goal is to win the world cup. Assuming you play for a country that is strong enough to win it. I am sure Maradona would not be at the same level of Pele if he had not won the world cup and played a major role for the team. I think Messi is one of the best footballer but I do not think you can deny that a footballers legend status is based on world cups and skills. Remember the world cup is much harder to win then any other tournament. I would rather win 3 world cups and 1 league championship then 21 leagues champions and no world cups.
He's a talented footballer, that goes without saying. Whether he is the greatest of all time, is a strong statement. Let's see what he does during the 2010 world cup. If Argentina wins , and he is a pivotal figure in the tournament, then we can say he is "one" of the greatest. Remember Maradona, lit up the world cup tournaments in 1986 and 1990. If Lionel does the same in 2010, then he can be mentioned in the same catergory as Maradona.
Messi is a great player and has plenty individual recognitions However we can't compare him with any W/C winner. He does not even have the amount of Club or International tittle "YET" as Thierry Henry, Alessandro Del Piero, Romario, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, , so don't waste your time comparing him with PELE, MARADONA,or FRANZ BECKENBAUER.
As a matter of fact please try to compare him with Johan Cruyff,, David Beckham, Marco Van Basten, Rudd Van Nistelrooy, Alfredo Di Stefano that were great players as well but NON WorldCup winners and you will find the kid is behind all of them..
.Lets wait until South Africa...
All the commentary has been focused on soccer. It should be focused on "football"for the fallacies to fade away. Pele is a football god, Maradonna, a football emperor and Messi, a football prince.
Pele showcased his talent at club, national and internaional level; his World Cup performances place him so far above anyone else, he has yet to be touched as a team and individual player.
Maradona's performances at Napoli were masterful at the club level as he singlehandly moved a lower division club up and won the the Serie A title. Maradona though great had only one masterful World Cup -1986, compared to Pele's 1958,1962 and 1970 achievements. Messi is on his way up- he need to win at least two World Cups with Argentina to be considered in Pele's godly pantheon. Messi has to score 1000 goals in thirteen years, stop wars with the sheer brillance of his skill, and be leader of World cup Championships before he can be in the same category as O Rei- Pele or El Cebollito, Diego Maradona
World Cup prowess is meaningless. Ryan Giggs is an example of one of the greatest ever who because he plays for Wales has no shot at a world cup.
Messi has the best ball control EVER (with Zidane being on par IMO) and he's only 22 and has won more trophies already than most players in big clubs do when their careers are over! If he has no injuries (and believe me, with time opponents will only become tougher and more agressive) he'll be the greatest EVER by UNANIMOUS decision once his career is over because he's got the goods AND he's got the desire and love to play the game the right way.
And he doesn't even need to win any World Cups.
Messi is truly a great player. It is so much fun to watch him play. I hope he makes this world cup fun!
Messi is young and very talented, one of the best scorers now. However, Messi has a long way to go before to put him in a gallery of great players like Pele, Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Maradona. Better than Maradona... what does that mean? Let Messi be Messi, he is good but let us wait and see what he is able to do at the World Cup in South Africa. Better than Maradona because he is the only hope of Argentina as the Coach Maradona is a complete deception... Let us wish him good luck.
Messi is best no doubt about that,and we can compare him with maradona,but he is not maradona .You should imagine messi
playing with napoli and making a team like that champions..i don't think so
Please people imagine this barca team with the RONALDO(THE BRAZILIAN THE REAL ONE)HOW MANY GOALS THAT GUY COULD DO ,IN A TEAM LIKE THIS BARCELONA 2010...
PLEASE DONT COMPARE MARADONA WITH MESSI..
ENJOY MESSI ..BUT MARADONA PLAY ALWAYS ALONE ...
THATS THE BIG DIFFERENCE
ORIAKU
Do you know anything about soccer? Pele was not a one man team. He had the other best players in the world on that brazilian team. He was far from a one man show. In fact thats the argument that maradona fans make. Maradona was a one man team on every team he ever played on. Pele wasn't.
Is pele great? Yes. Is Maradona great? Yes.
They are in a league of their own. But saying Pele was a one man team is just wrong. You really shouldn't speak if you don't know what you are talking about.
Messi needs to prove his worth on national team. But if he continues this path he will come very close to being on the same level of messi and pele.
I didn't see much of maradona but messi oh boy he is too good! fantastic!!
he is this little guy with lots of goals. amazing skills like ronaldo and ronaldinho. wow the ball is always there with him. I can compare him to zidane too he is the best
messi is really great but you have to acknowledge the fact that he has a good team to begin with.... funny how people think c.ronaldo is up to his standards
chalk and cheese. MESSI is world class in all aspects.
Agile, Tricky and can play between 4-5 players around the box and still score. 10 out of 10....
Messi is the greatest.
Well i think is he a great footballer with great skills and i believe in short time to come he will be the most skillful and untouchable player ever on the earth
Great , but not quite there yet. Not a Legend.
Messi still has to manage a handgoal at the World Cup and win the thing to be compared to Maradona.
Then he has to go on and win another two to be compared to Pele.
MESSI IS GREAT !!! MESSI is better than maradona and pele TOGETHER
Maradona way above anyone!
Messi plays with his head down. Maradona read the game faster and played against meaner defenders. He was the team's head and heart.
Messi not better than Zidane, Cruyff, Pele, etc. Pele was nowhere near Diego.
There is no question that Messi is a great talent and fantastic to watch, but he cannot yet compare to Maradonna. At Barcelona Maradonna was fantastic, but surrounded by great players, as is Messi, but after that Maradonna went on to win in Serie A and the UEFA Cup virtually single handedly with Napoli, a very unfashionable club. This followed leading Argentina to the World Cup in 1986, many times winning games almost by himself. Argentina were not the best team in 1986 but Maradonna was undoubtedly the best player in the world and that made the difference. Messi constantly fails to deliver at international level, until that is addressed he cannot be considered the greatest ever.
Another reason I fail to compare players of today with years gone by is the protection they receive today compared to other eras.
Maradonna, Pele, Best et al had to contend with defenders launching into them, kicking them, at times it was outright assault.. They had to be strong and brave, Maradonna and Best would have been untouchable, or playing against 9 men every week with todays rules. It would be interesting to see Messi with Gentile clattering him all game.
Please no comparisons, it cannot work. For me George Best was the complete player, but that's why we love football because it's about opinons.
Messi is and will be the GREATEST soccer player ever created.
If we run down the clock, messi will be to fast for the game. He will miss out on form. If we fast forward the clock. Maradona skill and dribbiling in forward line will make him Fit in to Both worlds. That for me A fat MARADONA.
LIONEL MESSI is better then any one !! period
pls! NEVER compare messi to MARADONNA... as he can NEVER reach 1% of MARADONNA'S level, NEVER IN HIS LIFETIME!!!
Messi is a wonder boy displaying the power of his youthful age. Maradona was and still is a magician in football, he is a legend in soccer and he should not be compared to Messi. Messi is a child compared to Maradona. He has not done enough yet, so Maradona is the man.
Until your privileged enough to see both play -like me, you're not in the best position to jugde. Maradona did a lot and had a lot of history behind his game. Messi has just began and has little history behind his game. Let us not be carried away by media reach of today
Until your privileged to see both play -like me, ur not in the best position to judge. Maradona did a lot and had a lot of history behind his game. Messi has just began and has little history behind his game. Let us not be carried away by the media reach of today
I don't think comparing Maradona and Messi is sensible as they are not playing at the same period of time, the pace of the game is/was different, the defenders were much more cruel vs now with the new booking/sent off rules etc.
I think comparing Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo or eventually Kaka (in Milan not in Madrid) would be more relevant. In that case, I'd say that Messi is one inch better.
Messi is too much for Maradona. He plays football with his natural energy and skills.
Players and coaches can contribute better to who is a great player so let's hear from them first before we come to a conclusion , Pele,Maradona, who is next for football fans ....
are some of these people HIGH??? Ronaldo, Henry, Pele!!???? Messi by far is the best player in the world and he still got years in his careers!! Vamos ARGENTINA!!! MESSI!!! MESSI!!!
Maradona > Pele > Messi
At the moment.
Pele played with insane Legends in his team,
Maradona was a 1 man machine, Hes greater than Pele.
He's not even compared to Zidane yet, let him win the WC, Champ league a couple of times, La Liga like enouigh times and then compare him to the very best
Yes Messi is good but not yet comparerable to the likes of pele.however he has the potential
Hello,
Why on earth will you compare Messi with Maradona? Get the videos and compare the actions and skills. Let us not be carried away with Messi baby football. Please, stop this comparison.
CALEB D.C.
No messi is not the best player or Maradonna is not the best player eler it is Pele the king of soccer .
Maradonna is an enigmatic figure who had both the technical class and fullness of life and character to win a world cup. Messi is a great technical player, but didn't Argentina struggle to qualify for the world cup with him there? For me Messi lacks the something that inspires people. He is a footballer trained in academies. He is basically soldier of football hatched at the barracks of Barcelona. Diego was a normal kid who triumphed over his situation many times and although some call him a cheat, he still won a world cup even if he did singlehandedly. i praise his will to win- a football god in his own right.
Barcelona Vs Arsenal will expose Messi.
Later
Cape Town
Ps. you rank players on international class not domestic, there are a lot of good domestic player that never make it internationally, uh uuum, steven gerrard, frank lampard, david beckham etc...
he will be better than maradona if he leads his national team to win the World Coup.
Messi is a great player no doubt, but he needs to prove himself over a period of years like Pele who won 3 world cups and Maradona who also won with his country. Plus Pele and Maradona did not play with such great players around them all the time like Messi has done in Barcelona. Also Messi has done very little on an International level. So lets just wait another 6 years the ask again since he only is 22, and his best years should still be ahead of him.
it´s not acceptable to compare a legend such as Maradona, with Messi, who is a good player, but, the only player which can be compared whit Maradona is Pelé, who is a legend also, for me both of them are the best of all time.
I've grew up watchin Diego Maradona and I hv been seeing Messi fr a discovery to today's greatest gift in world football. I opinion is that, the World over-rated the talent and skill of Pele cos Brasil itself is a class above the rest in world football .. Maradona brought that to light and showed that he is the greatest player ever to walk on this planet. His single-handed victories in every level, every competition speaks for itself..His mastery of the ball and wizardry of the game strikes fear and paralyses any defenders given in any team. He is even adored by his own opponents, his opponents' best players are also called the "Maradona of the their country or their continent". All these, speaks volume of the man with the hand of god. His goal in the top of all competition, the World Cup is the best that anyone would want to dream to score. Leo Messi on the other hand a genius in the making,in the absence of the greatest. His is without doubt better than Pele but cannot be compared to Diego Armando Maradona..If Messi is a ball, Maradona is football!!!
Nah messi is not even better than wayne rooney...rooney carrying manchester united...messi has players like henry zlatan iniesta javi and others that compliment his playing...
Yeah maradona WAS a good player.And he"s a world cup winner albeit with the aid of a cheat goal against England at Mexico 86 and he then failed to light up Italia 90 with any scincillating performance.That notwithstanding Maradona was a blessing to his generation but even the great one cant hold a candle to mr Messi with the kind of form he"s in.Thanks
Messi is most definately better than Maradona. Not only as a soccer player, but as a person. Messi is a good role model for the youth and next generations of soccer players. Most importantly, Messi has not let fame and money change his personality, which is a testament of how much better Messi is than Maradona...
On top of all of this, Messi continues to perform on the field, scoring goals and displaying great skills non-stop in every game. I don't even know why you compare Messi to Maradona...it would be only fair to Messi to be compared to Pele instead...
Hey guys,
I think Messi will get one of the best football players ever, next to:
Maradona,
Pele,
Ronaldo Luiz Nazario De Lima,
Ronaldinho,
Rivaldo,
Luis Figo,
Zidane
Roberto Carlos.
But guys, you know for me is Messi a forward and maradona was a playmaker and that is completely different. I think in the next years we will see a lot of great games from this little man.
By the way, in Barcelona people say he has replaced Ronaldinho's space. Yes of course, but not as playmaker that Ronaldinho was. Sorry to say, but Carlos Dunga must be stupid when he would not bring in Ronaldinho into the Selecao. One of the best player ever who plays with so much passion and joy. A pleasure to watch him how he conjures with the ball.
Is that true that even he Brazilian say that the Argentine Diego Maradona was a better football player than Pele?? I mean the Brazilian and Argentineans were always rivals in football, so I am surprised.
Greets!!
Undisputably Messi is the best player ever if to be decide only on club performance but what makes a footballer great is not only the club performance but his performance at the world cup .So if Messi can help his country to win this forthcoming world cup, then you can say that he is greater than Maradona.
i think that messi is the best player right now but i think that its just a matter of time for cristiano ronaldo to get his crown back. i think that messi still needs a lot to catch up to cristiano ronaldos level
Messi is playing against the best, veryt talented athletes. Maradonna played against persons that were playing differently. As more money is involved, as the sport is now more global and as the science behind trainings and equipment become better, Messis accomplishment is greater.
Also, Maradonna is a bad example of a person for the sport. Not the case of Pele. That´s why Pele is so revered. Messi is humble, a team player and a leader.
He is greater than Maradonna in all senses.
It is time that people in Argentina start looking at a better idol than their god Maradonna.
i think Messi is the best player in the world!!!!! He's cute and he can score like an alien, but South Korea will win Argentina and Pele is the history of worldCup
Messi is still a toddler while almighty Maradonna is an adult. Though Messi skills in the contemporary football is splendid,but not to be compared with that of Diego Maradona in his days. Maradonna played in many world cup tournaments and won silverware for Argentina which Lionel Messi is yet to achieve. To me, the comparism is too early and does not match.
maradonna vs messi is a no brainer. the former cheated when scoring in the world cup '86 against England that Argentina went on to win thanks to his now infamous claim it was the Hand of God that got him the winner whereas messi, showing lots of panache dont which, in my view, puts him in a different class.
Messi better than Maradona? Ha, that's a good one. Let's discuss that after Messi wins a World Cup or two essentially by himself, like Maradona did in '86. And IF he gets to win 3 World Cups and score over 1200 goals, THEN you can put "Messi" and "Pele" in the same sentence.
Maradona has signlehandedly won the World Cup. The others (including Messi) have been supported by other great players. That is why Maradona is the greatest. Zidane and Pele are close.
Anyone who actually believes Messi at 22 is a better player than Maradona needs a reality check... you can't compare someone who has been playing for 4 years really... and only in the last 3 years has become one of the top 3 players on the planet... to Maradona!
When Messi wins a World Cup or at the very least performs for Argentina the way he does for Barcelona... then we can talk... until he performs for both club and country EQUALLY well LIKE MARADONA ALWAYS DID, then this debate can be opened again.
One year does NOT make someone the greatest of all time... a CAREER does!
Who cares! Neither will ever be better than Pele'.
yeap messi is a talented footballer of our time,mostly at club level. but yet to trasform it to national level. he is not in anyway better than maradona for now, maybe with the world cup around the corner,if he could perform anything spectecular,we may start comparing him with likes of maradonna.
O my god, am so disappointed on you soccer voters, Diego is a god. If Messi plays in Diegos era he will never make it to the 18 yard goal line, his legs will be broken. Diego's era did not accommodate actors on the field, it was a game that was played by grown men not actors
brazilian ronaldo is the best. but messi maybe the best one day , he is just 22 !!!!
Messi will go down as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Watching him play was a treat for me. the way he moves the ball the way he anticipates it and the way he unlike most strikers look for the best option not just the goal. If you ever get a chance to watch him play in person don't pass it up.
Why do you people insist that Messi must win a World Cup to be considered among the game's all time greats? Soccer is a team sport. And Argentina got into the 2010 finals by the skin of their teeth. The Flea is a truly magical player, but no one player can overcome the substantial weaknesses of his teammates (or coach's game plan).
The world is experiencing the best footbal ever known in its history. Messi on its own is a full squad performing beyond what a single player has ever played in football history. With alot of improvements in the game Maradona could not have done this with many stars in the feild of play. Messi improves by the game and he is just the best in the game of fotball.
This is crazy funny:
Messi's ALL-TIME SUPERIORITY rests in the hands of, guess who?
His coach -Diego Armando Maradona!
hahahahahahahaha. You can't beat me boy. My Team selection and tactics will tarnish your status!
I am a Barcelona fan and a Messi fan however to compare him to a ¨legend¨ from 25 years ago, is too difficult right now.
I remember Maradonna when he played in Mexico 86 and for Napoli and while his skill and touch was sublime, the game was very different then. So much slower and nowhere near as technical. Players in those times were no strangers to heavy drinking nights and parties before gamedays and even smokers were playing competitive top-league football !
I think if you were to measure Messi now against Maradonna in his prime, Messi would be faster, much faster, their touch is quite similar and how they control the ball although again the skills and strength of defenders now is so much tougher and faster so it´s very difficult to compare. I think the question will be more relevant to answer after the WC 2010.
I´ve heard many pundits, fans, commentators and the likes all compare many of Messi´s goals to famous goals of Maradonna, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho etc., all the world´s greats so I definitely believe that Messi will go down in history as the greatest we´ve seen but a little more time is needed.
I think you can't compare people until after they have finished their careers. Everyone was saying Ronaldinho was as good as Maradonna in 2006, but noone does anymore. If Messi plays like he is doing now until the end of his career in ten years, and also dominates a World Cup like Maradonna, then he probably will go down as at least as good as Maradonna. But it is pretty difficult to keep up those standards for so long which is why Pele and Maradonna still stand above all others. Lots of people have been amazing, but Pele and Maradonna have obviously done something unique to stand alone. Messi definitely has the potential to be up there, but time will tell if he does
To be fair, Messi has great skill but cannot yet be compared to the great players of yesteryear. Until he is able, on his own, to lift club and/or country, he will never scale the heights or make the grade!
If Messi played for Portsmouth, would he single-handedly lift them out of relegation? I doubt.
Messi is good at Barcelona but not so special in national games
international games Maradonna is and stays the betterMan
u can go to any country. when u only says Argentina The says Maradonna
Messi looks like just a kid from the street with a talent but you have to be a little twisted to be a true star. Look at Maradona's Barcelona stats to make a comparison. Actually we have to put Messi in Napoli to see who's better. Maradona was a phenomenon.
At this moment, Messi is the best in the world. It is hard to compare these two players (because of different style, technique, speed and strenght of foothball). But, Messi is young and if he continues to play like now, he is gone be the greatest player of all time. Also, I think that Messi is psychologically stronger player than Maradona was and that could be Messi's advantage.
Definatelly,maradona is the best of all time. He have had won world cup in his period . He was not just a player , he a magic player . messi need to show more . he is help by his team mate . Eto is the best then messi .
Diego Maradona revolutionised football, furthermore he played on most teams, Napoli, Boca, and Argentina with player of much lesser caliber than himself. While Messi, has been playing his whole career with team mates of similar stature. In this years world 11, at least five or six would be from Barcelona, hence making Messi play better football, with a team that greatly supports him. Furthermore, everyone down plays Maradona's achievements due to his scandals, including the hand of god, which must be mentioned, Messi has had as well. According to me Maradona is the greatest player to play football, and until any other player takes a lowly team like Napoli to win a world class league, and a average National team to win the world cup, they can not be compared to the Legendary Number 10. In all honesty, i believe that even Ronaldinho in his prime was better and achieved more than Messi has.
since messi is entering the best form for his club, then when it comes time to play for country he will be in great form well baked to be eaten by everyone. really most of the goals, he has scored comes from a pass, then he begins his move, like a chess piece perhaps a queen which eats piece after piece because she can move anywhere. really, i believe the argentines are to win the world cup because, if you try to stop messi, he will take a different tactic. havent other teams tried.
i believe messi needs to be in an argentine jersy, be given the ball, and face the opponents defense and you will see wonders, although, there are always other players on the pitch like carlos tevez, point man for mancity, sergio aguero point man for athletico madrid, higuain point man for real madrid, really, with messi, of barca, argentina is the team to beat, i am feeling El Messias right now.
Hands down, Lionel Messi is the greatest player the soccer world has had the privelege to view of late!!!!!
There is so much time before any one decides if Messi is better than Maradona. Messi has so much to achieve before any one really says so. He has to finish his career on high note like every great player has he has to finish it when every one remembers him. Usually I dont like players getting compared because most of the time they play different styles of soccer, like for an example i once saw zidane and ronaldinho being totally unfair that was considering those two play different styles of football. But on this case you could say its fair to compare them.
Messi is presently the best player in the world. too early to be compared to great players like Pele and Maradona.
If he can win a WC than we can argue about him being the greatest or at least one of them.
Personally I think it will take some time before we know for sure who is better. Messi definitely has a better attitude, he plays as a member of the team, he respects all his team mates, the coach and the fans. Maradona has had several scandals and negative media whereas Messi is known for his gentle manner. Of course Maradona was active much longer and there may yet be an inner devil in Messi that is still waiting to be released.
Diego Maradona is a World Cup winner. Messi is a great player no doubt and has time on his side. Winning the World Cup a couple of times will certainly strengthen the case of Messi as better than Maradona. Till then the halo around Maradona will remain undiminished.
With all due respect, I think everybody is going crazy..
Messi is great player, playing in a magic team.... in an league that is not recognized by its defence.
Please don't get carried away. I would say that 99% of you haven't seen player like Pele, Garrincha, Leonidas da Silva, Di Stefano, Puskas playing, not even in video. There is a great documentary about Pele in DVD with images that speak for themselves. He became world champion when he was 17, won two other world cups and scored 1284 goals. In response to those who say the sport was different then, I say that Pele would be much better prepared today, taking advantage of the new knowledge in Physical training. He would be faster and stronger.
If Pele is too distant in the past , I would like to bring the names of Zico (826 goals) , Maradona (made a difference in 1986) , Cruyff, Romário (made a diffference in 1994), Ronaldo (Two world cups), ZIdane (The most elegant player I heve ever seen) etc.
So lets wait. It's too early to say he could even be placed among those player I mentioned. By the way, his national team almost didn't qualify in the easy South America qualifies....
i think people are confusing, Maradona is still a god of football we have never had,at the age of 12 his target was already to get the world cup which he did some years ago.Diego Armando Maradona can`t be compared to young who has as a model Maradona.Messi has still to do more to come close to such a legend.
From Victoria Falls fabrice mbuba
i think people are confusing, Maradona is still a god of football we have never had,at the age of 12 his target was already to get the world cup what did some years ago.Diego Armando Maradona can`t be compared to young who has as a model Maradona.Messi has still to do more to come close to such a legend.
Lionel Messi is a great player for now he is better than Maradona and in time will come another player in the world will be better than Lionel Messi beacuse everyday the world as a whole get new great footballer.
to me messi has not achieved much in football, he should win the world cup first, then we can somehow compare him with other great players. have you ever wonder messi playing without iniesta and xavi? i think that will answer some questions, cos he does'nt play well for his country argentina and the way they qualified for the world cup will speak for itself. think about it.
Zidane is the greatest player to live.
i would not say Messi is better Diego, he has not offered Argentina any cup yet
CRISTIANO Ronaldo is better than Messi
lts still too early to tell, but Messi is like from another planet! l cant talk about Maradona cause l was a kid when he was at his best, but the only two players l can put in the same sentence with Messi are brasilians Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Messi is world's best footballer for quite a while and l have no doubts he'll be for the next few upcoming yrs!
yes he is more than Maradona because he has got what it takes to be more than him
Maradona, while, a great player, was also a cheat...Remember the "hand of god"? Ronaldo who scored 12 goals in the world cup is much better than Messi at this time. Don't get me wrong, Leo Messi is a great player and he could get to the level of Ronaldo this summer in South Africa. But until then, and as much as I love watching Barcelona and Messi, I don't he is there yet.
In addition to beeing a better ball player, Messi posess something else that Diego Almondo Maradona never had: "Class".
Messi is at the moment the greatest player, he will do wonders in South Africa. If he can lead his team to the trophy THEN and only then can you compare him to Maradona.
Messi is an excellent player with Barca. He didn't do anything spectacular during the WC qualifiers playing for the national team, especially in that loss to Bolivia, but I have to give him more credit than Maradona for the simple reason that we don't know how long Maradona used drugs to better his game and have an advantage over the rest of the players. To tell you the truth, many players were better than Maradroga.
I have already said here before that there's no greater player than Maradona. In fact, he is still the best in the world. As for Messi, of course he is a wonderful player. However, Maradona used to do something with the ball that no other player has ever done.
Another foolish thing to say is that in the time of Maradona the players had other occupations. At Maradona's time, in Napoli, for example, he and a multitude of other players, already earned lots of money, and dedicated ther career only with football.
Maradona is undoubtedly the best ever footballer in the world.
Raimundo Santos
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Not the best ever...yet. Still behind Maradona and Johan Cruyff but better than Pele. Had Pele played in Europe in his career he would have been just as dominant as he was in Brasil but the facts are that he didn't and if you don't play the best you can't be the best.
Some people seem to link football skills to the number of trophies a fotballer wins. In fact, we should judge a player not exactly for how many trophies he has won. We should judge a player by the way he touches and deals with the ball, that is, by the way he dribles, kicks, passes the ball to his fellow players, etc. We should judge the qualities of player analyzing how he treats the ball...
In this sense, there's never been any player like Maradona.
Maradona is the best ever..So far...
Until Messi can win a world cup he has not put himself past Maradona. I just find it funny that all of you forget to mention someone who is better than Messi Pele Ronaldo and Maradona and that is Zidane.
Messi needs to take a world cup to beat Maradona.Then we will say Messi is better than Maradona. Now a lot of players are very goo and can be compared to Messi though Messi is an astonoshing player. Even from Argentina Riquelme is there.He has the same amazing calibre.
Pele, Maradona and Zidane are ahead because of the history they made. Messi, Rooney CRonaldo ,Xavi have to make history to be at Top-X level.
I wonder how many people offering opinions here know what kind of formations were used in Pele's time. Formation differences alone makes the comparisons moot. How can you compare a player who went against two or three fullbacks to a player who goes against 4 defenders and 2 holding mids? Different players, different times, no comparison possible.
Please get a Maradona DVD and will see.
If you know football then you will know that Ben doesn't know what he is talking about...
Maradona is a freak of nature. There will never be a better player then Maradona. Maradona beat the whole english team. The english league was a professional league and no they didnt have second jobs. Pele was also a great player and if not for Maradona would be the best player in the world. No defender today would be able to stop maradona. The italian serie A league had the best defenders. Italy always had the best defenders but none could stop maradona.
Messi is not even 1% of maradona
Great player with promising magic just like Diego. HOWWWWEVER, toooooooooo early to compare?! even two players that have accomplished less than Maradona (Henry, Zindane, Ronaldo, etc..). Today, there are only 2 people that sit in that league: Maradona and Pele! Let's not get carried away too soon folks. time will tell... I say we ask this same question say... 5 to 10 years from now...
Please dont do this comparison as there is no way Diego could be compared to Messi. During Diego's time there were not much very skilled players and that is why he stood out that much. It is not like that now as we have tons of talented players and Messi still stands out.
The best footballer is Pelé. He won 3 world cup, got more than 1000 goals with his feet and his head, never with the hand. I think that Maradona was better than Pelé in other sport: The "ballon mano"
Regards
Pelé won the world cup at 17 years old. He won 3 world cups. Maradona and Messi are very good players but not like Pelé. I saw "en vivo y en directo" a Pelé, Maradona and Messi.
Messi will be the best in the history of fooball
those who say he isn't yet, hes still got 10 years ahead of him
The best In this order:
1) Pele 2) Pele 3) Pele
4) Ronaldo Nazaro de Lima (greatest world cup goal scorer of all time-15 goals.....Maradona's resume is weak compared to Ronaldo's) 2 world cups, several spanish la liga championhips, Brazilian championships, UEFA cup champion, player of the year 3 times.....severely injured 3 times with massive knee surgery....came back every time and won a championship.
5) Gerd Muller (14 world cup goals)
6) Garrincha (an artist)
7) Zinedine Zidane (a warrior)
8) George Best (another warrior....from Northern Ireland)
9) Leonel Messi
10) Ronaldinho Gaucho....
Maradona ..sad story of ego, self-will run riot, self-indulgence, and is a tragic example to the world. His resume is weak compared to Ronaldo. Just look at the numbers and statistics. Ronaldo ....like him or not...is a champion.
Pele was more than a footballer, he was a leader on the field. Despite the rampant racism and abuse he earned the respect of the world.
It is to early to say weather Messi is better than Maradona, as Messi is still only 23 years old and his career is not complet yet. At this stage they are about the same, but I think Maradona had to deal with alot more hard tackles than Messi as the gamehas become more telvised with more cameras and harder penalties. But on the final say I think no one will beat Diego Maradona(and thats hard to say being a englishman.
I think that Maradona was the best of his time but the world turns around and better players may come. The strength of Maradona was the quickness of his mind in pressure moments. At his best, Maradona was the Oscar de la Hoya at his best. Their "game plan" itself was identical! If you watched the flurries of De la Hoya at the pressure points of the fight, you cannot but conclude that this was what Maradona did in 1986 in England! I have seen The Gol! It was a flurry of mini plays, one after another! No player could match this talent. Usually, a good player does one brilliant move, or two. Maradona was not contant with that. In his famous World Cup in England, he made six or seven brilliant moves one after another, to make that gol happen! That is why I still see him as the greatest player of his time.
messi is far better than maradona.
barca will win gunners.
Dear Sir,
Argentina have very Professional Players and talented, and they are favourite to lift the worldcup Final 2010.
Messi is very talented and professional Player and also Maradona. I appreciate and congratuate both of them.
regards
Richard
there is no way he is better than david beckham. No way.
Every generation produces players of quality such as Messi, Marodonna, Pele, Di Stefino – lists goes on.............. but Messi has to win the world Cup first in order to establish his name along side the great players such as Marodona and Pele during their peak hour in playing careers. Then only history will judge him where he stands in the standard of world soccer.
PRAMOK
KTM – NEPAL
christiano ronaldo is better than messi, u guy will confirm that next week at the barnebuar
How do you to compare the two? Messi certainly has the ability to eventually compared with the all time greats (I would suggest these included Puskas, Cruyff & Zidane rather than Cantona, Weah & Giggs). Maradona for me is still theman to beat. Dragging an at best average Argentina side single handedly to World Cup glory in 86 is something Messi has yet to emulate. Also, Messi at Barcelona happens to play in one of the finest sides ever the world has ever seen with a system that gives him the freedom to play the way he does. He has yet to reproduce this kind of form for Argentina. Maradona on the other had was a genius wherever he played.
Messi is such a grate player...........................No dout about that
BARCELONA IN MY BLOOD
Messi has to win a WC to be put in the class with Maradona, Zidane, or Ronaldo. If Zico had won a WC for Brazil, his name would also appear on the list – but he is now forgotten.
Till date no one can compare with Maradona, he is a real legend with a class of its own.
beckham??????are you serious???hahahahah...you don't know anything about football!
germany will never make it this year in the world cup 2010
we already beat them in a friendly and everyone knows there is no such thing as a friendly anymore if they even get close to the final it will be a miracle in any case we will beat them again kose , podolsky and steinsweiger suck!!!
it will be Spain vs Argentina FINAL
Argentina will win 2-0!!!! VIVA ARGENTINA WE ARE BACK!!!!
After the 4 goals of yesterday against the Arsenal in Barcelona and the quality of each of the goals, there is nothing to add. Messi is for sure the best football player in the world and even better than Maradona.
Only if he can win for his country Argentina and uplift his team to a world cup victory.
You know what I love about Messi ? Maradonna, C Ronaldo and even Pele, they milked their status as best player.
Messi doesn't even look like he cares. Just enjoys the game. It's everyone else that seems to be making a big deal out of all this..
Also I agree that Pele and MAradona playing today , playinghte way they did back then, they would probably have a hard time.
trust me , i am better than messi ...specially ladies do u hear me ???i am the man !!!!! that part was just for fun , however i think messi is good but not as great as marodonna ...;;;;
time will tell of course, but I think Messi is way better, he's only 22 and what he's done so far is out of this world
why not to compare rooney and messi? whos better?
Messi can impress any soccer fan. Now the question is, can he give argentina the world cup, like maradona did it in Mexico?
The only bad thing is that Maradona is the worst coach in the world cup, and doesnt know how to set up a team of great players. I feel sorry for Messi for having Maradona as a coach. I am completly sure, that if Argentina had a different coach, there wouldnt be no doubt, that Argentina would be the world cup champion this year!
Wow. Some education is in order. Here is the list of Messi's achievements. He has already won Olympic gold and the Under 20 World Cup title (player of the tournament). During the 2008 Olympics Argentina beat Brazil 3-0 on their way to the gold. He has 3 La Liga titles and 2 Champions League Titles, not to mention a Club World Cup. He is 22 and has already scored more than 100 goals for Barcelona. Maradona was excellent, yes, but not only was it a different era with less talented defenders, but he played less quality teams as well. It is true that Messi is fortunate to have one of the greatest teams with Barcelona, but on the other hand that also guarantees that he faces the most stifling competition. It's too bad the Castrol rankings weren't around a few decades ago!
FC Barcelona:
2009/10 World Club Cup
2009/10 European Super Cup
2009/10 Spanish Super Cup
2008/09 Champions League
2008/09 Liga
2008/09 Copa del Rey
2006/07 Spanish Super Cup
2005/06 Champions League
2005/06 Liga
2005/06 Spanish Super Cup
2004/05 Liga
Argentinian National Team:
2004/05 World Cup Under-20
2008 Gold Medal Beijing'08
Individual awards:
2009 FIFA World Player
2009 Ballon d'Or
2008 2nd best FIFA WORLD PLAYER
2007 2nd best FIFA WORLD PLAYER
Questions:
Would Brazil have won the world cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970 without Pele?
Would Argentina have won the world cup in 1986 without Maradona?
Would Argentina have won the under 21 and olympic gold without Messi?
Would Barcalona have won all the titles they did without Messi?
There are a lot of answers in question!!
messi is a great player but to me he is overated he scored 4 goals against Arsenal! please my granmother could do that in her sleep. to me Wayne Rooney is a better player. messi still needs to prove himself against some real competition
Messi has still alot to prove in order to be compared to Maradona: once he has managed to win a World Cup practically by himself, like Maradona did in 1986 with a weak Argentina team, and win a major European League with a second tier team twice like Maradona did with Napoli...then we can start comparing him to the God of Football, Diego Armando Maradona.
Messi is the best now, as Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were the bests at their primes. But to be a soccer king, one needs to be mvp in a world cup. Now, Maradona was it in 1986, Romário in 1990, Zidane in 1998. If Messi leads Argentina to victory in the world cup, then he can be put side by side with those geniuses. To approach Pelé, he'll need to win three WCs and to score more than 1000 times. Good luck to him
LEO MESSI IS NOT YET BETTER THAN MARADONA BUT WILL BE WHEN HIS CAREER WIL BE OFF...THAN WILL BE THE GOD OF THE FOOTBAL GAME...VIVA LEO MESSI...
maradona is still the best
Maradona is the second famous soccer player of the world.
messi has reached to be like maradona.he became like maradona.after a few year messi will become the most famous soccer player of the world.
ask this question after messi wins world cup.. maradona is king of soccer and everyone else are wannabees
So far the only player that can be compared to Pele and Maradona is Zidane.That's because they have won the ultimate prize for a football player and played a significant role in helping their countries to win it. Messi has won a phenomenal amount of trophies and awards for his age but this same question (Is he better than pele and maradona?) arises every year but with a different protagonist (2008 was Christiano Ronaldo, 2007 was Kaka, 2006 was Ronaldinho etc). I hope that all this talk around his persona and skills will not devostate him because I really like him (Messi) and I hope he can cope with all the burden of being compared to Maradona.This Maradonaworshipping has totally demolished Argentina after Maradona's retirement and made it a farse in all WC... Have you ever heard of Brasil waiting for the new Pele?NO, because they got over him and won another 2 World Cup's after him... So let's not make this kid (Messi) overanxious and maybe he will surpass them all!!!!!!
Messi is a genius at play he always thinks ahead, but what makes him succesful is the xavi, Iniesta , Pedro around him .. he can only be a genius when they perform too.. it is amazing that when he plays for Argentina it is so different ,because he hasn't bred with those players , he lives a catalunyan lifestyle @ FCB 95% of the game is to hold the ball & then make a collective effort towards goal , very rarely would one proceed towards goal alone & try to score a rareity .. only when he has a very good chance , but when you play for other teams including Argentina each one wants glory , there is no selflessness towards the team .. this selflessness was never in Maradona .. maradona resembles CR9 in behaviour & attitude very egoistic & all about "I ,me & Myself" the rhetoric is different ..this is why Messi is better and as long as he is like this he will only succeed .
comparing Messi to Maradona doesn't help Argentina for the worldcup .. especially when you are comparing the coach to the player especially a person like Maradona .. Argentina has 2 greats keep it that way ,don't let the media break it up .
There is no bases for comparison, Messi
messi is better then maradona but not better then pele right now he will, if he keeps this up.
Speaking seriously, Maradona at his prime was the Oscar de la Hoya of soccer! In soccer, like in boxing, what counts is the quickness of the mind to follow up with volleys! The trick is not one volley or two. A medium player or boxer can counter that. The trick is to surprise the oponent with five consecutive volleys or six ... and if he survives , with a seventh! Normally, no human mind is prepared for this! If you have such a mind, you win! Maradona had such a mind! As for Messi, I have never seen him play.
Impossible to compare. Soccer has changed so much, furthermore the greatest player cannot win trophies playing in a weak team, Di Stefano or Bican never won the world cup but they were at the same level that Maradona.
Messi is a good player not great like Maradona. Maradona won the world cup until Messi does this they can't be compared. That wouldn't help the player and his coach for the world cup.
I think it is only fair to know the level of comparison befor we can conclude who is better than who between these two great players. Messi,no doubt is better than Maradona at Club level. Given the outstanding role he played last season when he assisted Barca in winning 5 trophies at the same time. this season also he has no doubt shown that he is getting better. He single handedly finished Arsenal in nou-camp. But at National level, Maradona is still far ahead. Mexico 86 was his baby, he was also felt in Italia 90. Nigerians will never forget Diego Maradona in USA 94. Messi os Mess as we call him here is gud but he has a lot to prove, a lot of ground to cover before he is Maradona or better.
Please stop compering that. There are only 2 players in the History of Futbol!! they are Pele and Maradona!! There should be no comparison, no argument. Players like Pele and Maradona were unique..Messi is a great player but let's not compare. It's like comparing MJ and Bill Russell. You understand??
Whaat??? Do you guys understand ONE thing about soccer? That question shouldnt even exist! Better than Maradonna there is only one man, and its Pelé. My god... Just go to youtube and compare... Maradonna is a soccer god....
By the way... Romário, Ronaldo, Zidane... they all are better than Messi... They've been Fifa's best player AND got the cup.
Maradonna to soccer is exactly like Jesus is to christianity.
Can there be a comparison?
Who is better, Maradona or Messi? What does better mean? I have heard a lot of people compare the number of goals they scored. The question is not number of goals but,.who is better? Messi is, one of the world's best players, is surrounded by some of the other world's best players on Barcelona. Please compare the ability of the two and you will see that Maradona is the greatest. Maradona took a second division team, Napoli, and won the Italian league twice. Maradona was also the most individually significant player in the 86 world cup and the 1990 World Cup. Please take a look onYoutube at some of the things he has done with the soccer ball, and you will there is no comparison. He has the gift of combining the pace, ball control, and balance to do things no one can.
no doubt ,maradona is the best player and only king in the history of football as he had the greatest goal which pele never had chance to do.
I dont think messi can be compared to maradona,maradona is very far he is un comparable to the current players.may be can be compared to Ronaldinho but still dinho is still a head.he is good but not compared to those lagends.we love him as our player but we should not make him the great over others.after all his performance at home is not so good compared to these key lagends who were good both at their clubs and at home.thanks.ndiwayesu titus makerere university kampala ugnda
People who doubt Maradona needs to watch the matches he played in.. it's pure magic.
not a very smart question.
when you ask people who was the best football player ever? pele or maradonna are common answers, and in most surveys, maradonna will for sure be in the top 5.
so if you are asking if messi is better than maradonna, then it's the same thing as asking if messi is one of the top 5 football players the world has EVER seen??
guys... seriously.... i am a fc barcelona fan and love messi, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. there are about 20 to 30 names that still deserve more respect for their contribution to the beautiful game.
Maradona is better then Pele but messi is the best.
Comparing Messi with the likes of The Great Pele and Maradona is a child's play. A constructive forecast iinto the future of this young wonder kid called Messi could place him at that level
. Untill then, I most sincerely wish him God's protection in his carear to be able to produce the needed results that would place him even above these great legend starting from the world cup in SA because he has all it takes to be a Legend.
Messi is better than maradona. but Zidane was a surprising player.
Messi is ok Maradona is the greathest
Hey mates,
there are alots of players who played well but i haven't seen like Marodona he is the one who is the Hero of the football of all time no one can take the place of him Neither Rooney nor Messi he is only the one...
I WAS NEVER ONE FOR FOOTBALL BUT PELÉ IS THE BEST OF ALL.
I think the thing that all of you people are forgetting is that messi has just turned 23 years old, pele and maradona reached their peaks at the age of 26, messi is amazing and if he keeps this up and wins a world cup, he will be the best of all time. o i forgot, maradona is better than pele, pele scored all those goals because he loved to bask in his glory, he wasnt a team player, maradona ,however, was, and now pele wants to come out and say that the only reason maradona is coaching argentina is to get some money, pele, when was the last time u ever had the fuckin nuts to coach ur nation, just keep sitting at home and watch maradona be a real man, the man that u never were, and the man u never will be
maradona is now old, so messi is better, but it seems like that old man really likes to kick that ball! Messi is an all star, but that match with argentina and germany in the 2010 world cup, i think germany crushed them! But, my opinions are my opinions. my opinons are not facts
I still find it difficult to understand dat ppl are comparing a 23 year-old who is yet to be at a prime of his career with the legends, who themselves were not at his greatness in the same age. Well, Maradona and Pele were great for the countries in the WC, Messi did for Argentina at junior levels. He single handedly won them the 2005 Youth World Cup, was player of the tournament and the topgoalscorer, something Maradona failed to do. He only walked away with the player of the tournament award. As for Pele I think the fuss around him is only because he is a Brazilian, nothing more. Brazil has always had briliant players that enabled Pele to shine. As for Maradona, he was at his bewitching best in Mexico 86, with a good technical team and players around him. With Messi it's different, he is expected to drag an below par team full of individual stars and ageing players such as Veron. Ok if Argentina gets a better coach than Maradona then Messi can replicated or even surpass Maradona's greatness. But one thing remains Messi has what it takes to be the Great Player in the World, age is still on his side, his attitude is ok compared to that of Portugese baby-boy Ronaldo. Messi can if he wants win the World Cup in 2014 and then retired because he would have won every medal any player could think of. Isn't it a sign of greatness?
maradona is still the greatest player to have lived. messi could still surpass him but maradona played football with lesser players around him than messi ever has and still delivered silverware. many people argu he single handedly won argentina the world cup that year and i agree. untill messi as liturally taken on the world and won he cannot be the greatest
Messi is currently the best player. Perhaps only Pele and Maradona were better. I love Zidane but I see him below the three players mentioned above. If you collect videos of all the nice effective moves of Messi in just one season, you will get more videos than Zidane's in most of his career. Messi just does it more often. Also, Pele, Messi and Maradona were big scorers. Zidane was only a decent scorer (never was top scorer in Spain or other competitions).
Lionel Messi is a very very better footballer than Diego Maradona
Maradona is the very best player ever, a superstar. An amazing unlimited technique and ball-control, individual dribbling, passing, tactic insight to beat opponents and off course the ability to control and win matches with average teams such as Napoli and Argentina. Upon the videos you can see that the defenders were simply obstructing him, nowadays they are letting attackers more free to make their move.
Maradona dribble skill collection vol, 14
Youngstars should also look at Maradona aged 19 only with Argentina England in 1980 and then compare.
Also take a look how he beat the best defenders in the world in Italy.
I think Maradona would even play much better in today's football wherein stars are much better protected.
maradona vs england 1980
Maradona dribble skill collection vol, 20
wel,i think messi is gud bt hv nt reach d heigh of pele n maradona bt cn b compared 2 players like Ronaldo,kaka,xavi,rooney n torres.i even tink c.Ronaldo is beta than messi,messi is only stronger,so pls dn compare messi wit diego again
each players plays from different tricks and different style like this messi is the one who played very well and very quick.no one can't think what he should now in this moment or at this time.messi played different tricks than maradona.i am viewing there match for lot of years and i am very inspires from their games.so my clue from the messi playing.that is very well......