And there are millions like him. ', Life off the pitch took its toll on Maradona's career, while Messi is still going strong. Play it now. Pele won three (1958, 1962 and 1970), while Maradona triumphed with Argentina in 1986. Nobody juggled like Maradona either, whether with his feet, knees, head or thighs. 3 and No. But this is your chance to vote. Johan Cruyff (Holland, Ajax, Barcelona, Feyenoord) Not the architect but the orchestrator of Total … Messi is now Argentina’s highest goalscorer. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Messi is more technically gifted, but it's hard to look past Ronaldo when it comes to making the difference in the biggest games. The debate has always been Messi vs Maradona and Messi tends to beats him in polls because Younger Argentineans prefer him. Pele won three (1958, 1962 and 1970), while Maradona triumphed with Argentina in 1986. Messi is given more protection than Maradona ever received. I say to my son, who is a football nut, enjoy this. He has scored 41 goals in 40 games this season, a typical return for him more than a decade after breaking through as a kid at the Nou Camp to leave the Brazilian great Ronaldinho to acknowledge: 'Am I the best in the world? Chelsea complain to Premier League after their team bus was kept waiting outside Villa... Thomas Tuchel admits Chelsea were 'lucky to escape' after clinching top four place despite losing to Aston... Chelsea sweating on fitness of No 1 Edouard Mendy ahead of Saturday's Champions League final after he is... Gareth Bale coy over his Tottenham future after admitting he 'knows' if he will stay at the club for another... Brendan Rodgers admits he will be hurting 'for a few days' after Leicester let Champions League place slip... Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp praises his 'incredible' team for an 'unbelievable' finish to the season... 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Lionel Messi was it at again on Wednesday night—becoming the first player to score five in a Champions League match as Barcelona annihilated Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 at Camp Nou to ensure their place in the quarterfinals. His two tilts at the European Cup could be considered unfortunate, drawn against Real Madrid in the first round in 1988 and then beaten on penalties after two goalless draws with Spartak Moscow three years later, when Maradona was on the wane. Maradona’s fellow countryman, Messi is considered by many to be the closest thing to Diego in terms of the way he plays. Some would argue that until Messi gets his hands on the trophy, or at least makes his mark at a World Cup, he can't be considered in their category. "He deserves to be honoured right now because it's something really incredible that he is now just seven goals behind [Barca's all-time top scorer] Cesar [Rodríguez]—he's only 24. Lionel Messi. Sportsmail has gathered the facts, and put together a three-way comparison of, you guessed it, Messi, Maradona and Pele. Messi does have better surfaces to compete on but when faced with packed and organised defences, he can somehow trick two or three players in a couple of yards. Diego Maradona scored more than 300 goals in his career, a fantastic record for someone who played most of his career in midfield and was often the playmaker for his clubs. Messi is a great player, and certainly the best in the world at the moment but Maradona went to … The pictures of Maradona cursing the Rome fans before the 1990 World Cup Final which Argentina lost to West Germany underlined the passion he brought to the cause, even after he had achieved wealth, fame and success beyond anyone's wildest dreams, Maradona celebrates watching his beloved Boca Juniors at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, Messi leads by example by carrying his team with his talent rather than shouting instructions. Maradona was short, squat and had thighs like tree trunks. Messi is currently playing Maradona’s role in Argentina. 'I think he's gone past Pele,' said TV pundit David Pleat after watching 25-year-old Maradona dominate an entire World Cup like no player before or since. The Messi vs. Maradona debate falls somewhere between Nos. I had the privilege to train him,' is Pep Guardiola's view even after he'd come unstuck against the Argentine as manager of Bayern Munich. Maradona won the World Cup, Messi four Champions Leagues. 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SPORTS AGENDA: UEFA's £500 Champions League final tickets are an insult to supporters of Chelsea and Man... Lando Norris laps up praise of 7,500 Monte Carlo fans and admits 'it is a dream to be on podium in Monaco'... Raspberry Ripplegate! Messi now has 250 goals from his 378 appearances for Barcelona and Argentina, and a remarkable 52 goals in 54 games since last July. For the Argentina national team, Messi has scored 55 goals in 113 international appearances (0.491 per game average) compared to Maradona’s 34 goals in 91 games (0.374 per game). Messi was handed the armband in the Brazil three years ago to try and replicate the feat but came up just short, beaten by Germany in the final. JAVIER ZANETTI has claimed Lionel Messi does not need win a World Cup to be. Messi and Ronaldo are top because of longevity and the leagues they've played in. Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi has been voted the greatest footballer of all time, beating the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele and Diego Maradona to the prestigious title. Not so Messi; he has achieved his glory only by being glorious, and every parent whose son or daughter is into football will be gladdened by that. Whether he can galvanise other players and urge them to victory through sheer will of personality is harder to argue. Maradona has said of Messi: “The ball stays glued to his foot; I’ve seen great players in my career, but I’ve never seen anyone with Messi’s ball control.” Among his peers Cristiano Ronaldo has said, “We are different in every aspect. "It is not just about his five goals today, he has been showing this already for years," said Leverkusen's sporting director Rudi Voller last night. 'I really loved Maradona as a player and tried to emulate him playing keepie-uppie,' says one of his big fans, British tennis star Andy Murray. Barcelona fans have snubbed their highest goals scorer Lionel Messi in favour of countryman Diego Maradona as the club's greatest player of all-time. And he's still not halfway through his career. Most would agree with him, but has Messi now done enough and achieved enough to outrank either of them? For all the controversies and rebellion, Diego Maradona is revered in Argentina as an all-time national hero, arguably the most popular and famous figure from his country alongside Eva Peron (Evita). Check him out on YouTube. Maradona shows off his small but muscular frame, while Messi squares up to Alvaro Arbeloa. The diminutive genius has been so good, so consistently, we're running out of plaudits for him.