Highlights

• Maradona's larger-than-life personality and extraordinary natural talent made him an iconic figure in Argentina, both on and off the pitch.
• Maradona's impact on international football was immense, and he is often credited with inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986.
• While Messi is often considered the greatest footballer of all time, Ferguson believes that Maradona's career, although shorter, was more remarkable.

Lionel Messi vs Diego Maradona is a debate that will never truly be settled. Even with Messi now having a World Cup with Argentina under his belt after the triumph in Qatar, there are still many who firmly believe that Maradona was the superior footballer. Blessed with extraordinary natural talent, Maradona was the dictionary definition of a flawed genius. A magician with the ball at his feet, Argentines fell in love with Maradona the footballer, but considering his larger-than-life personality that shone whenever he took to the pitch, they also fell in love with Diego the man.

One of the sport’s all-time great leaders, Maradona is often credited for single-handedly inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986. While that claim is unfair on the other members of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning squad, there’s no doubt that the South American nation wouldn’t have lifted the trophy in Mexico that summer without their legendary No. 10.

It wasn't just international football where he thrived, though. Maradona went on to inspire a then-unfashionable Napoli to the first two Serie A titles in their history in 1987 and 1990 - and it took them over 30 years to win another. Napoli’s stadium was renamed the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona following his tragic and untimely death at the age of 60 in November 2020 and images of the legendary footballer are everywhere in Naples, where he’ll forever be worshiped.

Many football fans understandably assumed that we’d never see a player like Maradona again. A host of rising stars from Argentina were initially compared to the great man but couldn’t live up to the hype. He was truly one of a kind and it began to appear that we'd never see an Argentine reach the incredibly high bar that he set during his playing days. Then Messi came along in the mid-2000s and exceeded all expectations.

Messi has dominated football for almost 20 years

In the eyes of many, Messi is the greatest footballer of all time - above Maradona, Pele and the rest. The man with the most Ballon d’Or awards in history, the former Barcelona man has produced countless moments of genius throughout his illustrious career with the Catalan giants, Argentina, Paris Saint-Germain and more recently, Inter Miami.

An ultra-consistent performer, Messi has scored over 800 career goals for club and country and that number will only keep rising as he continues to play football at an elite level, despite his age. Maradona, by comparison, scored fewer than 400. The Inter Miami man has also won a simply ridiculous amount of silverware. With numerous Champions Leagues, league titles in both France and Spain and now even a World Cup trophy under his belt, there are few players in history as decorated as he is.

His impact across the globe has been monumental and there's no doubt at all that he'll be remembered similarly to Maradona once he's hung his boots up and his career will be looked back upon just as fondly as the former Napoli superstar. For the longest time, debates about who is better have been split, but one of the greatest managers of all time shared his thoughts on the two in 2019, and it was quite eye-opening, to say the least.

Ferguson's stance on Maradona vs Messi debate

Sir Alex Ferguson, considered by many as the greatest footballer manager in history, followed both players’ careers closely - and there *is* a winner in his eyes. When Scottish sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney passed away in January 2019, it was revealed that the legendary sportswriter firmly believed that Maradona was better than Messi. But one person who disagreed with this assessment was Graeme Souness - even though the former midfielder-turned-pundit played against Maradona on several occasions.

The Times’ Jonathan Northcroft wrote after McIlvanney’s death: “With rising intensity Hugh and Graeme Souness debated whether Lionel Messi (Souness’s call) is greater than Diego Maradona (Hugh’s).

“An exasperated Souness had to finally beseech: ‘Look, I played against Maradona five times and I’m telling you — Messi.’ Hugh growled back: ‘I don’t care who you played against. It’s Diego.’” Ferguson was informed of their heated debate and agreed with Souness. Northcroft added: “Told of this, ‘I would side with Souness on that one,’ says Ferguson. ‘Maradona’s career at the very top was only a few years.’”

That may come as a slight surprise to some, especially because Ferguson has previously stated his belief that Cristiano Ronaldo is a more complete player than Messi. But Messi’s longevity gives him the edge over the late, great Maradona in Fergie’s opinion. Ferguson faced off against the 36-year-old on a number of occasions, and who can forget when the Red Devils were on the receiving end of a 3-0 thrashing in the 2011 Champions League final against Barcelona? Messi was the star of the show on the night, so may it's not actually too surprising to see the Scot vote in his favour.

We'll likely never have a definitive answer on who is a better footballer. These things are all subjective after all, but having someone as iconic as Fergie, who achieved so much in the game himself, side with Messi is quite the vote of confidence. There are few figures in football whose opinion is as respected as that of the former Manchester United manager.

With that being said, regardless of who is ultimately the better footballer, there's no doubt at all that the pair collectively are two of the greatest to ever play the game. Their achievements and impact on the sport are second to none and if we happen to come across anyone who even comes close to reaching their level again, we'll have another special talent on our hands.

Check out the table below to see how Lionel Messi's international statistics with Argentina compare to Diego Maradona's time with his nation. All statistics, of course, are courtesy of Transfermarkt.