If Messi wins the World Cup, will he be ahead of Maradona? | ESPN FC Extra Time 

Indeed.

For any country. That alone shows his class.

@Tommy Boykin He had a lot less responsibility than Messi. Cafú was a great right back, one of the best ever, but he wasn't the main player responsible for playmaking/scoring. Furthermore, he played in very well-balanced teams with exceptional players.

The only player ever?!?!? 😂😂 lad, Ronaldo was also part of the team too . 94, 98, 02. All 3 straight World Cup and won 2. And Ronaldo won 97 Copa, 99 Copa and 97 Confederations cup too.

@Tommy Boykin I believe Ronaldo is the best player player when it come down to just international. The guy has the best record for his country. Imagine winning the World Cup at just 18 at 1994 World Cup, at 1995 he reach Copa America finale and came 2nd place, 1996 he played in the Olympic and came 3rd. He went from 1st place win the World Cup to 2nd place in Copa and 3rd place in Olympic in 3 straight year and here the best part he win the 1997 Copa America along with 1997 Confederations cup, guess what he reach 1998 World Cup finale back to back and came 2nd. And 1999 he win Copa America again back to back. And of course he reach the World Cup again in 2002 back to back to back World Cup 3 consecutive time. And manage to win his 2nd World Cup and was the top scorer with 8 goals in 7 matches. I don’t think no players will ever reach that level for their country.

Literally Messi is above..... Imagine we are discussing about a old time baller druggist who cheated using hand to defeat dreams of a nation and yet we call hand of God.... 🤣

@@favorite2523 Messi's also a convicted felon if you want to go there.

@@favorite2523 maradona only scored 259 goals too. It's crazy that ppl still think maradona is better

@@devonbradley5135 Maradona isn't even the best of the 20th century. Pele is

@@TheRealPingu and he threw a fit and retired from his national team. Maradona dragged his team almost single handedly to a world cup.

Mate theres a video of the pundits discussing the CL final 2011 before it started. Graeme souness, man who had won everything excepfor the wolrd cup, a man who had seen maradona live,called messi the GOAT. 11 years ago. And these idiots still debate it now.

Not every footballer but every attacking footballer ever

And during those 11 years he performed to a level no other footballer has ever reached

He will remain below Diego.

@@lfk53 In your opinion.

In the eyes of the world, Messi is the GOAT. No one will catch up to his stats… Argentinians can live in their bubble…

@@lfk53 He is well beyond Diego.

Yes BOTH. Diego will be shouting for his former player. Plural of genius is genii. There is another!

Participation ribbons aren't an accolade.

@@SLSAMG maybe not for you but it do matters

@@SLSAMG Second most trophies in history and most individual awards.

@@LeWacoKid What does that have to do with what I said? Changes nothing. Cope more...

@@SLSAMG Because he's a winner, now get bent with your semantics.

Goalkeepers are the real GOATs.

He isn't the only player to ever dribble past everyone on the team. A few have done that before.

@@TheRealPingu he’s done it the most though. Watch his clip where he dribbled a stacked Madrid defense

@@TheRealPingu how many of those few are also the best playmakers and goalscorers?

He's not miles ahead of C. Ronaldo. Ronaldo's the greatest performer in the history of the Champions' League (arguably the highest level of competition in world football), and has (like Messi) won a major tournament with his national team. They are extremely close, to the point where it's a matter of taste more than anything. But if Messi wins the World Cup for Argentina, I think it gives him the edge over Ronaldo. It's difficult to compare them to Pele and Maradona, because the game was completely different back then, especially at club level. Brazilian Ronaldo was the most naturally talented player I have ever seen, personally.

Wow, you said everything that can be said... no one else should even try... pretentious douchebag

Ronaldo was the best in his prime

@@dulmaka9448 how can you inbreds even say that when messis prime has 30 more goals than ronaldos prime

@@dulmaka9448 I think Messi and Ronaldo both had points when they were better than each other, and therefore for me they could both say they were the best in their prime.

@@XhoowieX too true couldn't say it better myself

you call every baller greatest of all time💀💀

That's why he scores only penalties lol

@@stansmith5610 That's why he has more non penalty goals than Ronaldo.

@@Gfresh844 he’s quiet now Lmfaoo

@@stansmith5610 Tell me about those assist against Oland and Croatia? Shut up, little p@ssy 🤣

Maradona dominated in the 1986 World Cup and carried an average team like Napoli to win the Serie A titles.

@@deepblue007that's just two instances, he also got suspended for doping two times 15 months each, he was no longer the same player after 33. Now compare that with all that Messi has done

@@roberthdg Maradona was already the best player in a very competitive Argentinian League and probably the best in the world at 17 , or 18 Messi wasn't even an undisputed starter at that time . Maradona longevity is almost equal to Messi

@@donovanch462 No, it's not, not even close. In 82 he flopped. He played at top level for about 8 years max. After 90, his decline was swift. He had one good WC, never won Copa America, in spite of having better teams than Messi ever had.

@@donovanch462 Maradona moved to Europe because he knew the standard was a class apart. He clearly wasn't the best at that age, given he didn't show it either in Europe or for Argentina. His longevity is nowhere near Messi's peak longevity. And as was said, Maradona only had one standout tournament for Argentina, which was in his prime at 26. Messi has had a number of standout Copa tournaments, an impressive world cup in 2014 (albeit he wasn't at his best in the knockouts) and a standout world cup at 35.

Back in Pele days Brazilian league was as good as the top European ones

@@heppolo What kind of misinformation is this ?? The European leagues were always the better quality , more viewership and more global involvement than other leagues , let alone the Brazilian league . You say it was better than the European leagues during the Pele era , yet if I ask you , you wouldn't know what the actual name of the Brazil league . Don't worry , it's the Brasil Serie A .

@@arhaansayed7748 Santos would tour the World bro and beat the best teams in Europe 😂

@@palemonhurtado8914 that means the best team in Brazil can compete with the best teams in Europe, for example Paris or bayern would tear apart the serie A right now, but serie A is still better than the Bundesliga and league 1

And Ronaldo did it by going to almost every top league on Europe, including moving to England at 36 years old to be one of the league's top scorers in a rubbish Man United team. Messi moved to the weakest league and struggled in his first season. Challenges aren't for everyone.

None of the top defenders are scared of Messi. Also Messi relies on his team mates and can't win matches by himself. Where as when Maradona was on the pitch the top defenders were scared. He's the nearest there's ever been to being a 1 man team. The game is much easier today, perfect pitches and little contact where as Maradona was regularly hacked down. One thing I will give Messi and Ronaldo is longevity at the top and having a great mentality. Maradona had a bit of the Luis Saurez's about him and was more unpredictable on and off the pitch.

@@sheffsteel7 Can't win matches by himself you say ? What abt Bayern 2015 , Real 2011 , 2017 , 2007 , and countless other times , Arsenal 2010 , Liverpool 2019 . And these are just the examples off the top of my head , there are many more .

How could people compare two football players with different positions from two different eras by using goals? It's apple to orange comparison. People are just biased so let me cherry picking here too. Maradona won the world cup in his 2nd participation, most people say "singlehandedly" and lost the final of his third by a very close margin. Messi, "single handedly" led his team to the first final in his third participation, lost fairly square. It is to see if he will claim the victory in the 2nd final and his fifth participation. Summary Maradona: 3 WC, 2 finals, 1 victory Messi: 5 WC, 2 finals, ... And don't talk about CR7. He's great in his era and I admire him personally but he is not qualified for a comparison if we talk about WC. maybe in other context I'm open to that. It probably doesn't sound fair to him but that's the fact

@@ardashirshah7786 😂😂😂 ... Maradona's football was aesthetically pleasing that's all ... Dude barely scored 30 goals a season , was poor in his club side and you're comparing him to dudes that are like superhumans scoring every single game and assisting every single game ... A single tournament can't make you a GOAT

Nobody mentions Pele in here at all?

Because it’s obvious messi can do everything maradona did but better

@@Noirlore can Messi lead a team like Napoli to a title? That Maradona era 1986-1990 Argentina was kind of average, something like what Messi had to work with in 2018

@@heppolo can maradona score 91 goals in a calendar year in the worlds toughest league

@@heppolo No it was by no means average . Without Maradona , it was at least a good side ( not capable of winning the WC tho ) . Then with Maradona , they were propelled to a world class side who thoroughly deserved their 1986 WC win .

@@heppolo Yes he can, do find out the pedigree of Napoli then and come back and say that again. Argentina was average? How do you know? Did you check or did you just hear?

Maradona is goat,lion,tiger,jaguar......... everything

@@dr.pallab4205 how old are you

@@TM-bk3rl 50 years

Maradona will always be better no matter what records Messi breaks...Messi always played for elite teams while Maradona MADE TEAMS ELITE

@@republikadugave420 Nah. Maradona was good for a couple of years. Messi has reached a much higher level.

Amen

Are you making a case for CR7?

Indeed. Tell that to a lot of other braindead nostalgic haters. Some people are so ignorant.

You know ball

@@TonnyOkello No, he's not even in this discussion. Great goal scorer, little more. Isn't that made plainly obvious? He happened to play in teams that played for him. Messi always played for the team. That's what the truly greats do. Because at the end of the day, it's 11 against 11. Nobody understands that better than Messi.

Maradona is dad of all Never compare

@@dr.pallab4205 he never won copa america and Messi has now.

@@LQFamily it's not about that........ you also know Maradona is on another level.... charismatic, talented,magical human with soccer skills...Messi is no way close

@@dr.pallab4205 you just described Messi 😂 but instead of charismatic, he’s humble and a team player. He’s selflessly given his teammates 26 penalty in the past years. He could’ve been higher on goal count

@@dr.pallab4205 Also boastful and narcissistic, not to mention his addictions and lack of discipline, which cut short his career. Messi is a much better all-round sportsman. 16 years playing consistently at top level. Nobody even comes close to that. Charisma has nothing to do with it.

Tell them the truth 👏

Maradona scored 5 goals in 1986, 1 against Italy, 2 against England and 2 against Belgium.

Well said!!

I'm old enough to have witnessed both with keen eyes. They are near mirror images of each other but the game was definitely more physical in Diego's day. Just like it was in Bird, Magic, and Jordan's day as opposed to Lebron and Durant's, etc; I think if Maradona was as disciplined as Messi is (in his personal life and physical and mental self-care and whatnot) there would be no question whatsoever who the GOAT is. Maradona was that gifted. And yet Messi is supernaturally gifted, too. And had the benefit of his era being more professional. I dunno. If Messi wins it on Sunday I gotta give him the nod. Although, it must be said, I'm not old enough to have watched Pele and Cruyff and Best and Beckenbauer, so...

@@jhamler1 I don't see them as mirrors images, I don't see Messi ever defending, and he almost always comes from the right or center, he looks to score more as well, they have similar low center of gravity but Diego was stronger period in his physique

@@dennisfreeman4813 They're both short-statured, quick-witted, slick-moving, left-footed, goal-scoring playmakers with low centers of gravity. But you're right. Diego was built more like a brick shithouse, wasn't he? Dude had the thighs of a Minotaur.

@@jhamler1 yea, either way to your point what great players the both are/were, rare breeds

@@dennisfreeman4813 Indeed. However Messi has been covered by the modern media more comprehensively so that (unfairly?) helps his case, I think.

So.

@@issi529 so the players maradona faced were probably worse

@@de7518 Yes they were. Wich makes Diego's time weaker.

Yea but look at messi stats just 34 goals for argentina vs Messi's 96 goals ... career stats messi close to 800 goals , Maradona I think 250 goals ...messi has much betted playmaking stats also ..triohies also messi won 4 times as much

Messi wrecks maradona in every stats other than the worldcup. If he wins the World Cup, it will just clear the greatness haze which was like a dirt in the eye for messi to be living with no competition. This is not a dig to Maradona, he's in Top two to four of all time Great. Its just that Messi made you watch the match tirelessly for more than a decade, and kept you "wowing" almost every single game. Its just impossible.

I wonder how many napoli' full matches or argentina full matches (besides world cup final stages) the old men have watched with maradona in it. Everyone of these pundits talks about Diego and they have watched him play so few hours. Its ridiculous lol

I have and Maradona is overrated based on everything. Overrated dribbling (lost the ball a lot, couldn't dribble more than 2 players) Not effective enough Disappeared against tougher teams Stat-padder (70% of his career goals came from the penalty spot against 2nd and 3rd division teams in every league) Weak ariel game awful, horrible finisher

@@Oh_DADDY. I was told about Messi in 2013. I watch every Messi match. I've followed the US since the 90's and the premier league. I've watched full matches of Maradona but only clips of Pele. I've watched endless matches of Ronaldo since 2013. I don't see how anyone can compare Ronaldo, CR7, to Messi. Maradona is a good comparison but Messi is just ridiculous and the most entertaining player to watch bar none, only Maradona and Pele even compare. I'd say Pele and Messi are the only comparable right now as the best of all time. Regardless of Sunday's result.

If Lionel Messi doesn't win on sunday, Diego Maradona will always be Argentina's #1 man. It's all about the world cup.

@@LuciferTheDogKiller If you're an idiot.

Yep, although I'm not sure Maradona was quite as talented as Messi.

@@CC-xu2yz How can a man that went 0-2 in WC finals be considered the goat ?

@@LuciferTheDogKiller Says who? I'm Argentinean and that's not the case for me.

Better than Maradona? With no World Cup?

@@Sibstajimjam1719 of course man. Most individual awards. Most goals scored in a year. Most assists in history. Most man of the matches in history. Most goals scored in national team. 2 World Cup finals. How is anyone better lol

I don’t care about your stats, if Messi wins the World Cup he’s the Greatest of all time but if he doesn’t... he’s just another Cristiano Ronaldo, Johan cruyff etc. All the greatest have a World Cup and performed on a high level in them. Maradona, Pele, Zidane, Ronaldinho

@@Sibstajimjam1719 It doesn’t matter if you care about the stats or not. The World Cup is not an individual trophy, and all those players you mentioned were in crazy stacked national teams. Messi has never had a stacked Argentina team, even this year his attack relies on only him and a 21 year old. Think whatever you want man, Messi even without a World Cup is at least 10 times better than any other player that’s played football.

Messi teammates have been ahead of Maradona teammates.

@Ardashir Shah Why write the same fictional comment everywhere...

Since when copa is a thing?

@@enggarbaskara5326 Rest Bro 🥱

@@enggarbaskara5326 since pele days

They gave Messi about 10 try

You can't compare a Copa America with a world cup.

To get them there in the first place he has a big part in…

4sure

Not to say Maradona played in Napoli (bad team that time at the most difficult league in the world.

Idiots built Maradona church. This is just the pathetic popular need for idols. Yeah, he had influence alright--the wrong kind of influence. We'll never know how many kids fell to addictions on account of this bad example.

Jorge Valdano: "Maradona was Maradona sometimes, but Messi is Maradona everyday."

@@ursula3438 I love how Messi fans often bring this one to the table without realising what Valdano meant. 'Messi is Maradona all the time' clearly says that Maradona is the benchmark otherwise he would have said Diego was Messi sometimes but Messi is Messi always.

@@lfk53 obviously Maradona is the reference since he was the greatest footballer in their history at some point...the quote said it all Maradone was Maradona sometimes just pointed out he was great but have very short peak in his career..meanwhile Messi is Maradona everyday said it all

@@dajongedflamer1375 Still missing the point. That statement was made during Messi's ultimate peak season playing in a 'superteam'. It is much easier to have a longer peak (to be Maradona 'all the time' during that season) if your teammates do not have to rely on you 100% of the time and with all the referee protection the modern day player enjoys. Do you think Maradona was Maradona all the time when playing for Napoli during his peak? Was Messi being Maradona all the time during his 1st season at PSG, another 'superteam' in League 1? It is always important to see things in context isn't it?

@@lfk53 i dont think i miss your point..honestly you sounds like a typical Messi haters..if all modern players enjoyed the protection of referees and all the perks that comes with modern rules,how come no one was,is able to create the same reputation as Messi?where were you when Messi's been dragging the Argentina team in the last 3 world cup? He basically dragging them in the World cup qualifying or otherwise they'll not be in Qatar 2022 ?Barca under Rosell tenure, post 2015 Barca? He almost single handedly keep Barca from playing Europa League..he isnt always play with super teams.first season in PSG heavily influenced by his lacked of preseason,shocking transfer,covid and injuries but he perform enough despite the lack of goals and helped PSG grab the league title..it shouldn't be Messi's lacking if Maradona got involved in drugs early on and basically ruin his career..

And will forever be not close to as good as Messi.

Maradona forever my second best player of all time, I really love him, hope argentina takes the WC for him!

Messi also lead 2 finals in 5 edition

@@swaglord8469 2 finals in 4 full campaigns * . Don't count the 2006 one as Messi was a literal 17-18 yr old and didn't get to play vs Germany .

Mbappe could score and France win, well that makes him above Messi in world cups, all he needs to do is transfer to Real Madrid.

which Messi teams were average please compared to their opposition

@@abdullahimusa4927 Other than the 2006 squad and the current one, every other Argentina national team. Last 4 years at Barcelona, I would say even below average.

@@piscesman54 2010 Argentine squad SAMUEL,HEINZE,MILITO,MAXI-RODRIGUEZ,TEVEZ,PASTORE,di María Zabaleta Higuaín,Messi,Mascherano,Agüero,Lavezzi,Rojo. Statistically Argentine players especially the offensive players turn out monster stats for their club sides collectively they were better than any other national team pre-world cup .2014 squad di María,Zabaleta,Higuaín,Messi,Mascherano,Agüero,Lavezzi,Rojo. This time around their defense wasnt very good but aside maybe Brazil, Spain, Germany tell me which others teams could put out these names (yeh very weak national side). And for Barcelona they were average side compared to who Bibao,Villareal, Roma, please man

@@abdullahimusa4927 The 2010 squad was a shambles. Never mind what they did at their clubs. They did not function together as a team because Maradona did not have a clue about coaching. Defensively they were very weak. Why do you think they lost 4-0 to Germany in quarterfinals? The 2014 squad was better coached, but very poor in offense, Di María and Agüero carrying injuries. Higuaín missing clear chances. a team is not about names. It's about making the whole better than just the sum of the parts. I don't know what you point is.

If Maradona did then it wasn’t impossible. And Messi never played for Napoli so how would we know?

@Karma_Police369 because messi isnt a player who plays on mediocre teams, puts them on his shoulders, leads, and wins. Messi n cristiano are NOT those types of players. Wht teams have they played on?....thats your answer.

@@dcalzini Did u see the barca messi played with from 2017-2021, u must be joking. Since he left its their second time going to Europa even with new signings which speaks volumes of what messi did. And I don't even want to talk about managers cuz xavi is way better than the past clowns

@@dcalzini my guy…. Did you watch Barcelona in Messi’s last three seasons there? One of the biggest carry jobs of all time It’s also overlooked because it’s the preliminary stages of the FIFA World Cup but Messi is as close to entirely responsible as you can get for single-handedly getting Argentina qualified for that World Cup. Let’s not forget 2014 either. That Arg side had no right to be in that final with the overall quality they had lol Even surrounded by mediocrity he’s head and shoulders above the rest. Your argument is a dumb talking point often repeated that can very easily be shut down if you just take 5 minutes to look at Messi and Ronaldo’s careers. CR7 also did gigantic carry jobs for Juve and MU last season. I wouldn’t agree they’re as big of an effort or success as Messi’s, but his work still needs to be respected to the point that he is also at the top of footballs all time greats. Messi still edges him though 😉

@@dcalzini he's doing it right now in front of your eyes! Argentina were not favorites to make it to the finals and ppl were saying he's been carrying a mediocre national team for years!!

Because he's not close to as good as those two.

@@CC-xu2yz Talent is not a legit factor of being the GOAT. It's just all about winning and THAT'S IT!!!

Way ahead.

@@pigged_ Lol, had to be aggressive to scare away those guys, probably won't work though, but yeah he is god for Argentines for a number of reasons both football and non-football related, both on the pitch and off the pitch related.

Things have changed though. Many of the younger generation lean more towards Messi; given they grew up watching him. It's the older generation who place Maradona as the standout. If Messi wins the world cup, I think he will certainly be viewed as on the same level as time goes on. Of course though that is down to the team as a whole, not him alone.

@@Gfresh844 Well a very common answer from Argentines is "For my dad/mom/uncle/aunt/older relative, it was Maradona, but for me Messi" So I do see your point there, but the thing is legends never really die, and Maradona has precisely that, legend, a legend that to be perfectly honest far eclipsed the measure of what he achieved on the pitch, but still his legend all the same, told, and retold, until it has taken a far greater stance than actual events. Which is why I think it'll be difficult for Messi to compete with that legend. I guess it remains to be seen what Messi's legend is like, but with all the negativity of social media, one fears that it will corrupt his legend. For example, Messi is not a bad penalty taker, he's missed 30, Ronaldo has missed 29, yet because of social media he has this reputation as a bad penalty taker that you see even pundits and people who should be more professional about football repeating it. Messi has better performances in almost all measure in what can be considered big games than Ronaldo, but thanks to social media, Ronaldo is the one with the reputation of being a big-game player, which naturally translates to Messi being seen as not a big game player. Maradona also had his issues, and I'm not talking about the off the field ones, but without Social Media to highlight and magnify these issues, it's a lot easier for rosy retrospection to set in, but for Messi, you feel there always going to be the BUT he didn't, BUT he wasn't. Anyways, that's why I don't know if his legend can ever grow that big. I honestly hope it gets the embellishment it deserves in the positive sense, because he certainly is deserving

@@Tunde....Ballack You're 2nd para is immaculate . Social media propagates positive and negative , especially a lot .

What? Lol

What? I can tell that made sense in your head but what a terrible analogy. How would Messi not be Messi if maradona wasn’t alive… if Maradona never played football it would probably be better for Messi. No one to compare him to he’d just be the best then. Lmfao

@ThePizzboy wrong, almost always there needs to be a level of standard that is the driving force. Maradona wanting to be better than pele, messi wanting to be better than maradona, lebron wanting to be better than mj. Your def wrong on that one.

@@dcalzini that honestly doesn’t seem right at all, for one, Messi doesn’t use Maradona as a driving force or motivation, or even a standard to live up to bc how could he anyway? In Messi’s eyes he would probably say he could never even get close to Maradona and plus they didn’t even play together. In fact if you wanna go there, then it would be Ronaldo who can be considered his motivation or competition, his driving force to be even better and better, so if Maradona never existed, then no that shouldn’t really have any effect whatsoever on Messi’s career and his greatness

@@ThePizzboy Its quite simple, Maradona set an example, something Messi as a child could look to and pattern and someday surpass. Maradona raised the bar, then Messi took that and raised it higher, but Maradona had to raise it first and be a inspiration for Messi.

How are they frauds

@@zeyadhesham7472 one has 3 assists from the ref, the other had massive volleyball skills.

keep hatingg i love how that jealousy of yours is consuming you I LOVE ITT😍😍

If messi wins on Sunday he's miles ahead of Pele, messi already has more goals and assists, the only difference is the wc, which Pele was able to win because he had a God squad that won it without him, if messi wins it with a bunch of children, he's even more clear.

@@locoloco3866 I'm the one scoring, I'm the one getting tripped/fouled and the puppet master is gonna defraud me of my Golden boot, says Alvarez. I guess he has no reason to hate him neither. He driblles 1 and gets an assist, I dribble 3 and score and it's always about the puppet shooter. lol Who do you think hates him more? Poor Alvarez

survive the group win four games in a row, i have seen west brom, sunderland. watford play four great games in a row. champions league is the S tier trophy

4-2 on penalties!

Very stupid take man lol

1. Pele 2. Maradona 3. Ronaldinho 4. Ronaldo Nazario 5. Messi

Maradona has done nothing to be above Messi Same with Pele

You have no Brian. How can you say Ronaldo is better than Messi if you say Pele and Maradona are better than Ronaldo? That make no sense. And on what do you base that Pele and Maradona are 1 and 2?

Where's is mbappe on this list

and always be, after 20 Messis

No, he lacked discipline and professionalism that Messi and CR7 has.

@Winaras79 was different times my friend. Was unfortunate tho. But to be a drug addict in your personal life, partying hard, getting fat, banging escorts, and having an agreement with the club team to cleanse yourself for 3 days before each sunday gameday because your problem is so serious, and yet you still lead a mediocre napoli to championships. Your the goat.