“He’s still not at their heights” - When Chelsea legend Didier Drogba named two football legends better than ‘extraordinary’ Lionel Messi

Back in 2018, Chelsea legend Didier Drogba made a bold statement regarding Lionel Messi, asserting that the former Barcelona star was not on the same level as two of football's greatest icons: Brazil's Pelé and Argentina's Diego Maradona. While Drogba acknowledged Messi's numerous accomplishments and his extraordinary talent, he suggested that the Argentine had yet to reach the heights of the legendary duo.

Didier Drogba and Lionel Messi played against each other while they were at Chelsea and Barcelona, respectively. They met in the Champions League, to be precise. For some football fans, it could be somewhat surprising to see that Didier Drogba considers Pele and Diego Maradona better than Lionel Messi despite not playing with the late football icons.

Lionel Messi, often considered one of the best players of all time, has a record that is nothing short of phenomenal. With multiple Ballon d'Or awards, a plethora of domestic titles, and incredible goal-scoring records, Messi has dazzled fans with his unparalleled dribbling, vision, and playmaking abilities.

Pelé and Maradona are often viewed through the prism of their World Cup successes. Pelé remains the only player to have won three World Cups (1958, 1962, and 1970), while Maradona's mesmerizing performance in the 1986 World Cup is etched in football history.

Amidst these achievements won by these players, a lot of people have weighed in on who they think is the best. Drogba is one of those who gave his two cents on the never-ending debate. The former Chelsea man said told AFP (via Sports Illustrated):

‘’Messi could stop now and he would already have done a lot for football. To win a World Cup would make him even more legendary. He’s an extraordinary player! He’s still not at the heights of Maradona and Pele, but he’s not far away.”

It is to be noted that Drogba made these comments before Messi tasted World Cup glory with Argentina in 2022.

Ex-Argentina manager Cesar Luis Menotti picks Pele over Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi

Earlier this year, Argentina World Cup-winning coach in 1978, Cesar Luis Menotti, too stated that Pele is head and shoulders above Argentina players Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. Cesar Menotti acknowledged the abilities of his fellow nationals but believes Pele is ‘’incomparable’’. He said via beIN Sports:

"There's one that can't be compared, it's impossible. There's one who, if he played today, would win games by himself, and that's Pelé. Then we have Diego, (Johan) Cruyff, (Alfredo) Di Stefano, and now Messi, but Pelé was something else.

"I say this with certainty because I lived with him for a year playing every day as his substitute. One day Pelé jumped two meters and made a 20-meter pass with his chest that left Toninho alone, and Coutinho - Brazilian teammates of Menotti at Santos - told me: 'This is not a football player.'"