JamDav1982
Senior Member
Where did you see Maradona play?
Diego Maradona
- Thread starter diegomessi
- Start date
Where did you see Maradona play?
Gnidrologist
Senior Member
What most amazes me about him is how he could do all those things while being so goddamn fat. Keeping good shape clearly wasn't on his top priority list.
Leo_Messi
New member
No that's not the reason I dislike him, although I can see why you might think that. Personally I have no interest in the England National team partly because of my- for want of a better word - political ideals. That's not really relevant but there you are
I disagree about talent though. Messi is quite clearly the better of the two in terms of technique and ability IMO. Emphasised by the fact that he has got far more goals and assists than Maradona ever did.
Personality does have an impact on their football. You can tell when a player is more aggressive or arrogant and that comes across in their play (emphasised by CR now). Generally I just prefer players like Messi who, seemingly, want the team to do well more than they want to win themselves.
PS. They are both great players though, can't deny that.
Well, I have just noticed that many English fans dislike him alongside Argentina. The reasons for this dislike are obvious IMO.
I don't think that it is as clear cut as you make it out to be.
Maradona had an insane technique (arguably better than Messi's) and a similar insane eye for an pass. Maradona still scored a hell lot of goals and assisted a lot while playing for weaker teams in a different age were teams usually scored fewer goals. Players such as Maradona were also less protected in those days.
Of course it has a influence on how they play I just never cared that much about footballers lives outside of the football pitch.
Messi is definetely a less vocal player, a more introvert person etc.
In my eyes Maradona had a charm and a healthy arrogance. Nothing like for instance C. Ronaldo who in my eyes is just awkward. Maradona was the son of the people. That's why he is 100 times more well-liked in Argentina (South America as a whole too) than Messi will ever be.
My view of those two, I summarized quickly in post 192.
Leo_Messi
New member
Maradona had an insane vision and a amazing passing game. No way was he inferior to Messi on this front. In my eyes they are equals.
If Maradona did not have all of those many off-field problems and took better care of himself he would have been even better. As scary as that sounds.
JamDav1982
Senior Member
The Maradona myths are the worst part and they get repeated time and again.
'Maradona was the best player in the strongest league of all time'
Really?
In the years Maradona was in Italy and won the league over that period it was 2nd to Germany in Uefa rankings.
Why is the English league of the late 70s early 80s not considered higher when had three different teams winning the European cup seven times in eight years?
'Maradona was the best player in the strongest league of all time'
Really?
In the years Maradona was in Italy and won the league over that period it was 2nd to Germany in Uefa rankings.
Why is the English league of the late 70s early 80s not considered higher when had three different teams winning the European cup seven times in eight years?
JamDav1982
Senior Member
@Leo_Messi
You might be right but I haven't seen enough of Maradona to have a lengthy and complex discussion comparing him with Messi. For that reason I'm going to leave JamDav to argue the case
Haha im on his ignored list.
Leo_Messi
New member
@Leo_Messi
You might be right but I haven't seen enough of Maradona to have a lengthy and complex discussion comparing him with Messi. For that reason I'm going to leave JamDav to argue the case
I am not arguing about who is better. I am not interested in that. I appreciate both players. I am just saying that you are underestimating him a lot. It makes little sense to compare eras etc. too.
At the end of the day both players were/are known to have been the most talented players of their era and both will go down as some of the greatest footballers ever. One is already regarded as that (Maradona) and the other (Messi) surely will be once he retires.
I think that it is scary HOW similar both are in terms of playing style. It would be very interesting to see how well Maradona would have done in the current setup of FCB that has worked so well since 2004. I think that he would have been devastating. Especially if he did not have all of those off-field problems that at times would make even Gascoigne envious, lol. I guess that this is part of the charm and life.
He is on my ignore list. Life's too short, you know.
What amazes me most is how little he's won throughout his career. No, he didn't play for weak teams either. Sure, they weren't Pele's Brazil or Ronaldo/Dinho's Brazil or FCB 09-12, but Argentina 86/90 and Napoli weren't weak in the classic sense of the word.
Goes to show just how, depending on your perspective, important or overrated World Cups are.
Goes to show just how, depending on your perspective, important or overrated World Cups are.
Leo_Messi
New member
Napoli even today are not even among the most decorated clubs in Italy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footba...sful_clubs_overall_.281898.E2.80.93present.29
Napoli were practically nobodies before Maradona made them relevant. Before he was bought in 1984 they had only won 2 Coppa Italia titles in respectively 1962 and 1976.
Argentina of 1986 and 1990 were great thanks to Maradona (mostly). He carried the national team more than anyone else in that period. Talent wise then the Argentine teams that Messi has played for have been vastly more talented. You would struggle to find a single Argentinian that would disagree with this notion.
Maradona helped Napoli win 2 (!) league titles, 1 Coppa Italia, 1 Italian Super Cup and 1 UEFA Cup in his 7 season for Napoli. That's not bad considering the fact that Serie A was the strongest league back then and that they were up against Trapattoni's Juve, Sacchi's Milan, some strong Inter teams, Sampdoria during his last season (1990-91) who won the league title and qualified for the CL final etc.
The Italian league was extremely strong back then. Especially the top teams.
From 1984-1991 (Maradonas stint at Napoli) 3 Italian teams won the CL and 3 won the UEFA Cup.
Maradona would have won much more had he played for Milan, Juventus or RM in that time period. Every single top club wanted him back then but he did not want to leave Napoli.
I guess that he valued success at a smaller club (and the unique status/legacy that followed with this) rather than winning for already well-established top clubs. I mean Maradona is regarded as a God in Napoli.
Sure his success at club level does not do justice to his talent. But there have been many of such players out there. Also it's not like he did not win anything at club level.
Also it's not as easy as this. In such a case Giggs would be the greatest player in recent memory while Gento would be the greatest player ever. Thankfully nobody looks at it this way.
Last edited:
khaled_a_d
Senior Member
I haven't watched Maradona but everyone I know who watched 1990 WC says he was literally not among the best players in the team and that team was carried by other player(forgot his name) and he was a shadow of his former self in that tournament
Bro, I do not intend to shit on Maradona's legacy. On the contrary, I believe him and Messi are the two GOATs of football.
What I don't believe is this myth that he carried his team/s to all those glories. Yes he is a fantastic footballer (again, one of the 2 GOATs), but let us not go overboard.
Let's start with 86 Argentina; they only allowed 5 goals all tournament long. That number, no matter the era they played in, is phenomenal. This by itself demolishes the myth of Maradona "doing it by himself". Meanwhile, his partner on offense wasn't bad either: Jorge Valdano (of RM) scored 4 in the same tournament. To top it all off, he was coached by what a lot of people rightfully consider one of the greatest WC managers in history, Carlos Bilardo.
Sure, Maradona was by far the player of the tournament, scoring 5 and assisting 5. He was involved in 10 of Argentina's 14 goals in 7 matches. That is very impressive, but it didn't mean that the rest of the team were poor.
To put it in perspective, in Euro 84, Michael Platini scored 9 goals in 5 matches, including the winner that sent them to the Finals. Platini doubled in one tournament Diego's career goal total in the Copa America (4) but hardly anyone called/calls it a one-man effort. Was it because Maradona did it in the World Cup? I am inclined to say yes.
Let's talk about Napoli then. I will say upfront that I agree with everything you said about Diego putting Napoli on the map, but does that mean the rest of the squad was poor? Let's start with the defense again: Ciro Ferrera was the leader at the back of a team that conceded just 21 goals in their '87 title run. 21 in 30 games is a phenomenal record, then you add the 16 clean sheets.
Other notable teammates include Italian internationals Andrea Carnevale, Salvatore Bagni and (forgot his first name) De Napoli. Napoli was hardly Maradona + a bunch of scrubs.
Napoli was even better in 1990 as they added Careca to complete their Maradona-Giordano-Careca (MaGiCa) trio. Careca scored 73 in 164 games for Napoli.
Tldr; Maradona is the one of the GOATs, but he didn't do it alone because NO ONE can do it alone. Maradona + Argentina 86/90 and 80's Napoli were more like Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, rather than Destiny's Child (if you get my drift
)
Home of Barca Fans
