Maradona

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Messi wins in the consistency department.

But Maradona trumps him in x factor and pure career heights. He carried his country to a world cup and elevated an at the time weak Napoli team into champions.
 
Weren't Napoli doing a PSG in the 80s. Pretty sure someone debunked the myth that Napoli were a 'poor' team at the time they won the league.

It is still a great achievement regardless. It would have been like Newcastle being bought by those Saudis and become one of the riches clubs in the country and signing Messi.

World Cup exploits cannot be understated, of course. But Im not sure you can judge whether a player is better based on international tournaments. Fine margins. If Higuain and Palacio didn't miss for Argentina, they'd have won international honours. Whereas Maldini didn't even win an international trophy..

I just think when the question is ever asked of whos better. You'll get the two responses by people old enough to remember Maradona and let nostalgia cloud their judgement and remember his best performances. Or those who have never really seen Maradona and just basing opinions on what they've heard and seen through clips etc.

And the exact same thing will happen in 50 years time with Messi and whoever the best footballer in the world is at the time. Everyone who saw Messi will swear that the new guy on the clock can not compare. Nostalgia will play a part in us remembering him tearing apart the likes of Real Madrid etc. Whereas no one alive would have seen the likes of Maradona, Pele who move into the category of myths and legends that are only remembered by story.
 
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These greatest of all time things only work when people accept there are no right answers, you see them amongst boxing fans all the time.

I'd go for Messi but there are many great great players, Zidane, Xavi,both Ronaldos, Baresi, Pele, Maldini and on and on and on
 
Having said that, I seem to remember that our groundsman regularly won awards for the pitch in the eighties/nineties didn't they ? Am I remembering that wrong?

I've always thought WHL looked gorgeous.

ricky-villa-of-tottenham-hotspur-runs-with-the-ball-during-the-league-picture-id1694918
 
There's a little bit of revisionism about the Messi/Argentina 1986 World Cup win. It's not like he dragged a bunch of footballing novice total outsiders to a win, Argentina was a major footballing nation who'd won the WC 8 years prior. And he did a similar thing to Messi 2014 in helping get them to a final in 1990 and losing.

I'm not trying to denigrate his legend, he's was a phenomena who was often a game changer, but Messi came close to a similar achievement in 2014, a decent but not exceptional team bar Messi, but doesn't have a win on his CV just through a bit of bad luck and finishing by his team mates (Higuian missed a sitter at 0-0 from what I can remember)
But he did this in '86. This clip is JUST from that tournament only! I think that's incredible by comparison of what's followed. (Yes, there are always one or two standouts each tournament e.g Scilachi, Baggio, Platini, Cryuff, Zizou, Pele, Gazza even in 90 and wasn't Greaves supposed to great in '66 before being dropped for the final? But fuck, look at this!)

 
Like you, I consider myself lucky enough to have seen both players, although obviously it was harder to watch Napoli in the mid eighties so didn't see anywhere near as much of Maradona's career as I have Messi's.

I think you have to balance out things like the pitches and the way a skilful player could be hacked about, with the sheer level of physical, tactical, mental superiority of modern football that Messi has had to play in, and lets not pretend Messi hasn't been subjected to a barrage of physical punishment too.

I'm not outraged that people would choose Maradona, I can understand why, it's hard to compare players from different eras, and these two are very comparable, and have very similar skill sets to compare, unlike the comparisons with people like Pele and Cruyff etc, who were totally different players.

And they both did it in what was the best/toughest league in Europe at their time (or at least for phases of their careers in Italy and Spain anyway). People will argue Messi got to play in a side with Iniesta, managed by Guardiola, but lets not ignore he continued to perform and produce amazing levels after both of those had gone.

Maybe one of the advantages Messi has given himself is that his private life has been stable and that has allowed a level of focused professionalism that enabled him to produce much more and much more consistently, I don't know, we'll never know the true impact of Maradona's private life had on his performances and output (although we've got a fair idea), but having seen both, and loved both, it's Messi for me, all day long.
Just think in a few years time you could be posting something like this about Sissoko!!

Nbc Snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
It's just better in general.

Better tactics. Better coached. Better level of quality overall. Everything. It might not have the same characters, charisma etc. - but we are now served a better product then we've ever got when it comes to actual football.

But that's the same with pretty much every sport. And nostalgia plays a huge part. So and so from my day were better than so and so from this day etc.

It's why it's impossible to compare eras. Maradona was the best of his era. Messi is the best of his.

I'd love a time where players are appreciated for what they did as footballers and more than just a comparison in conversation.
It's been changed to become a more family friendly commercialized product. Yield more goals, less injuries from direct tough tackle, so increase the probability of the poster boys to appear more. Change format of competition: CL qualification, seedings; EURO finals format and now even friendly with the League of Nations crap... Transfer policy to create more dream teams, which sell better.... The byproduct is stats boosting. All just so they have popular names clash more often to boost revenue.

Thing will always change in life for worse or for better. Agree that you don't need always to choose side on the matter. However, when making a statement about which is better/ more quality, of course, it would invite argument. As you also agreed on the character, charisma... difference, not everything is measured in the same way. It's not just nostalgia element in place, just different taste. Some people prefer athleticism, cleanliness of the modern game, some other still prefer a tough war like game. Of course, the game has been geared toward being family friendly as I pointed out above, and nothing can be done about it until a new landscaped political change.

Just like most thing in life, follow the money. I am not modern football hater or anything, but I do appreciate what I came to know about the old games.
 
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Watched the whole Argentina England game last night.

Maradona was different gravy. Touch, power, control, courage..and a bit of acting to boot.

An absolute giant despite his 5 foot 6 inches.

No one really came near him in the game, in that whole World Cup and in the history of football, not many would rightly share a table with him.
 
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Maradona, apart from a criminal communist supporter of massively criminal communist dictatorships and a disgusting criminal drugaddict was just a ball juggler, football is not circus, football is a competition to score more than the rivals, not to see who is a better juggler, and in that sense, the only real sense, Messi and Cristiano are a trillion galaxies away from Maradona, Pelé, Cruyff or Di Stefano.

Some people have problems with reality only because they have childhood memories.
You'll last long.
 
hand of god never really bothered me, mainly because the England players were trying to break Maradona's legs every time he got the ball.
 
I’ve never been much of a fan. I recall “Like a Prayer” being ok, and then the Sex Book stage was alright, but since then… Nothing. Don’t know what all the fuss is about 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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