Maradona

[Simbo]

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

Obviously impossible to prove but I think if Maradona could have lived life as professionally as Messi you'd see he was the greater talent. He had a power and explosiveness that Messi doesn't quite have.

 

Due to him being stone mad we only got to see Maradona in patches and he was definitely finished by 1990 as his legs had gone. When he had his pace he was more or less unplayable.

Agree. Never saw a greater talent than Maradona.

[Lee909]

Messi doesn't have to deal with the same kind of physical abuse Maradona did in the field either. Much easier to be a skillful player when you have not got players trying to break your legs everytime you have the ball.

[Funkasy]

Messi doesn't have to deal with the same kind of physical abuse Maradona did in the field either. Much easier to be a skillful player when you have not got players trying to break your legs everytime you have the ball.

Messi has had plenty of horror tackles on him over the years, i will also claim that most defenders now are better and better tactical then they were in the 80's. Where Maradona just runs past most of them. Might be bollox tho because im a youngling.

[Jairzinho]

Aye, difficult comparison.

 

Maradona kicked to ribbons and often playing in worse teams. Messi with longevity and scoring goals at about double the rate.

[Anny Road]

To be classed as the best you have to win the biggest. Maradona and Pele did it.

It's why players like Best, Rush, Kenny are never mentioned among all the time worlds greatest although Individually they were right up there.

[Jairzinho]

Ahh, like Bernard Diomede.

 

As opposed to Di Stefano.

[Peter Cormack]

Pele did it in three world cups, the one where he didn‘t perform he was kicked to death, mostly at goodison by Portugal. Worst kicking display I‘ve ever seen totally brutal. Today Portugal would have ended up with four players and seven red cards. Maradonna‘s number two Pele the best of all time.

[Jay86]

To be classed as the best you have to win the biggest. Maradona and Pele did it.

It's why players like Best, Rush, Kenny are never mentioned among all the time worlds greatest although Individually they were right up there.

I don’t agree with the World Cup being the biggest anymore, quality wise it’s nowhere near the Champions League, it’s hugely entertaining for someone like me who would watch every single match if it was possible. To win a World Cup or Euro’s it’s possible like Portugal proved to be pretty much dog shit but be very good defensively and have a word class attacker to win you the games.

 

I’m too young to have witnessed Maradona in his prime so I’m going on hundreds of highlights and clips I’ve seen of both him and Pele and Messi eclipses them both, to be considered the best you have to longevity and consistency more than to win the World Cup, going on what I’ve read and seen Maradona peaked for 3-5 years and his lifestyle ultimately let him down in the end whilst Messi has been the best footballer on the planet for over 10 years, that is mental when you think about it.

 

For arguments sake say Bale scored 40+ goals a season like Messi since the age of about 20 at Tottenham and won the Champions League 4 times, the Premier League 8 times, 5 FA Cups, 3 Super Cups and 3 World Club Cup but played for Wales who’ve literally no chance of winning the World Cup he wouldn’t be considered one of the greatest players simply because of where he was born? I don’t think like that at all.

 

I’d compare Maradona more to Ronaldinho rather than Messi because both had the most natural ability I’ve ever seen a footballer have but lifestyle was their downfall, albeit Maradona had a lot longer at the top than Ronaldinho but Ronaldinho for 2/3 is above anything I’ve ever seen a footballer do on a field, he was literally taking the piss out of world class defenders week in week out.

 

Messi

Ronaldo (R9)

Maradona

Cristiano Ronaldo

Zidane

Ronaldinho (just for them 2/3 years)

Pele

 

Would be how I’d rank the top 7 personally and it has nothing to do with if they performed at a World Cup.

[KevieG]

Messi has had plenty of horror tackles on him over the years, i will also claim that most defenders now are better and better tactical then they were in the 80's. Where Maradona just runs past most of them. Might be bollox tho because im a youngling.

Defenders these days?

 

I dunno about that. Most full backs are auxiliary wingers and can't defend for shit

[Aventus]

.

[Gym Beglin]

I don’t agree with the World Cup being the biggest anymore, quality wise it’s nowhere near the Champions League, it’s hugely entertaining for someone like me who would watch every single match if it was possible. To win a World Cup or Euro’s it’s possible like Portugal proved to be pretty much dog shit but be very good defensively and have a word class attacker to win you the games.

 

I’m too young to have witnessed Maradona in his prime so I’m going on hundreds of highlights and clips I’ve seen of both him and Pele and Messi eclipses them both, to be considered the best you have to longevity and consistency more than to win the World Cup, going on what I’ve read and seen Maradona peaked for 3-5 years and his lifestyle ultimately let him down in the end whilst Messi has been the best footballer on the planet for over 10 years, that is mental when you think about it.

 

For arguments sake say Bale scored 40+ goals a season like Messi since the age of about 20 at Tottenham and won the Champions League 4 times, the Premier League 8 times, 5 FA Cups, 3 Super Cups and 3 World Club Cup but played for Wales who’ve literally no chance of winning the World Cup he wouldn’t be considered one of the greatest players simply because of where he was born? I don’t think like that at all.

 

I’d compare Maradona more to Ronaldinho rather than Messi because both had the most natural ability I’ve ever seen a footballer have but lifestyle was their downfall, albeit Maradona had a lot longer at the top than Ronaldinho but Ronaldinho for 2/3 is above anything I’ve ever seen a footballer do on a field, he was literally taking the piss out of world class defenders week in week out.

 

Messi

Ronaldo (R9)

Maradona

Cristiano Ronaldo

Zidane

Ronaldinho (just for them 2/3 years)

Pele

 

Would be how I’d rank the top 7 personally and it has nothing to do with if they performed at a World Cup.

Disagree, to have the weight of your country on your shoulders is seismic. Messi has it easier than Maradona, they still expected a World Cup win back then, now it’s optimism rather than expectation.

 

Imagine being Neymar, the entire country expects him to bring the cup home, he’s a fucking kid. That’s very different to life at Real or PSG.

[sir roger]

May be an age thing but I can't agree with Zidane , earlier Ronaldo & Ronaldinho being above Pele.

 

To me , Pele, Maradona , Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo  are the top 4 by quite a distance. I wouldn't argue  with any combination of these 4 depending on peoples taste, although my number one would be Diego Armando.

[Bjornebye]

Are you Stingvests ex wife?

[JohnnyH]

May be an age thing but I can't agree with Zidane , earlier Ronaldo & Ronaldinho being above Pele.

 

To me , Pele, Maradona , Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo  are the top 4 by quite a distance. I wouldn't argue  with any combination of these 4 depending on peoples taste, although my number one would be Diego Armando.

I don’t think Christiano Ronaldo belongs in that list at all. Ronaldo is a phenomenal striker in the Gerd Muller, Jimmy Greaves list of greatest strikers that ever lived type of specific footballer. He’s not in the list of best “footballers”. In 20 years people will ask if the latest best footballer is as good as Messi. They’ll never ask if he’s as good as Ronaldo.

[Jairzinho]

Pele spent his entire career in pub leagues, the fucking shit cunt.

 

A marginally better Brazilian forward than Vagner Love.

 

 

Agree with Johnny re Cristiano Ronaldo. A great goalscorer, but not one of the best footballers ever. Anything Cristiano Ronaldo could do with a football Maradona, Messi, Cruyff, Ronaldinho, Brazilian Ronaldo and Zidane could do with an egg.

[Elite]

Ronaldo's a phenomenal athlete and could have excelled in the vast majority of sports if it was his focus from a young age.

[RobbieOR]

I don't like him but to deny that Ronaldo is one of the best footballers of all time is a bit daft.

[El Rojo]

Pele spent his entire career in pub leagues, the fucking shit cunt.

 

A marginally better Brazilian forward than Vagner Love.

 

 

Agree with Johnny re Cristiano Ronaldo. A great goalscorer, but not one of the best footballers ever. Anything Cristiano Ronaldo could do with a football Maradona, Messi, Cruyff, Ronaldinho, Brazilian Ronaldo and Zidane could do with an egg.

Autocorrect changed ‘and Lee Trundle’ to ‘could do with an egg’.

[KevieG]

I don’t think Christiano Ronaldo belongs in that list at all. Ronaldo is a phenomenal striker in the Gerd Muller, Jimmy Greaves list of greatest strikers that ever lived type of specific footballer. He’s not in the list of best “footballers”. In 20 years people will ask if the latest best footballer is as good as Messi. They’ll never ask if he’s as good as Ronaldo.

Agree wholeheartedly with this.

 

Even at his peak I always felt C. Ronaldo was more of a functional type of player. Unreal goalscorer but I just don't think he had that magic and creativity to be classed with Maradona/Messi. Just not as natural a footballer.

[lifetime fan]

Pele spent his entire career in pub leagues, the fucking shit cunt.

 

A marginally better Brazilian forward than Vagner Love.

 

That’s just bollocks and you know it mate.

 

The Brazilian league back then was at least the equivalent of anything in Europe or the rest of the world and far better than the vast majority.

 

Look at the Brazil squads he was not only selected in but started in. And the way he performed in world cups, against sides that weren’t fucking pub teams!

 

He’s been a dick for years and talks shite but the deliberate downplaying of his ability is just daft and simply wrong.

[Jairzinho]

You think Pele scores 40 or 50 goals a season in Serie A in the 60s? Utter madness.

[Jairzinho]

I don't like him but to deny that Ronaldo is one of the best footballers of all time is a bit daft.

 

I think the opposite opinion is "a bit daft".

[aws]

Ronaldo's a phenomenal athlete and could have excelled in the vast majority of sports if it was his focus from a young age.

Take away his pace goals and his stats aren't so shiny.

[RobbieOR]

I think the opposite opinion is "a bit daft".

 

He's scored hundreds of goals in the last 10 years and won 5 European Cups. Nobody else bar Messi has ever done that.