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Former Argentina star Andres D'Alessandro feels Lionel Messi is 'more complete' as compared to Diego Maradona in terms of scoring goals. The 43-year-old was asked to pick between the two legends of his nation on a podcast that he appeared on.
Messi's rise on the world stage saw him get compared to Maradona early on in his career. There were quite a few similarities between them too - both were diminutive figures but possessed incredible dribbling skills and were the goalscoring talismen for their club and country.
Having said that, Messi was still considered a tier below Maradona for his inability to guide Argentina to a World Cup title like El Diego. But in December 2022, he achieved that too, playing an instrumental role as Albiceleste won their third trophy in the competition.
Now, the 37-year-old is more successful than Maradona in terms of international trophies with the national side too. Messi has four overall, including the Copa America 2024 that he lifted last weekend, whereas Maradona has 1986 World Cup and 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup medals to his name.
D'Alessandro was asked to wade into the debate once again during his appearance in the Charla Podcast, and he had no doubts in mind as to who's the better between the two Argentine greats. He said:
“I’ll stick with Messi. More complete when it comes to scoring. Diego had more charm but Leo is more complete. And Messi has remained at an absurd level and performance for 15 years. And now he is a world champion, which was missing.”
Maradona's club career lasted roughly 20 years across six teams, including three in Europe. But his career faded in the early 90s as the star's substance abuse came to light.
Messi, on the other hand, remained the face of Barcelona for 13 years before continuing his career at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He also won far more trophies, individual and collective, than his former Argentina manager.
No retirement news from Messi following latest Copa triumph
Lionel Messi picked up the fourth international trophy of his career with Argentina last weekend when they were crowned the 2024 Copa America champions. Yet, the 37-year-old has refused to announce his retirement.
Back in March, the former Barcelona ace said that he will only hang up his boots when he feels he can no longer 'help his team anymore'. After the Copa triumph last weekend, Messi said these are his 'last battles'.
It's an indication that retirement has indeed crossed his mind, but the Argentine skipper hasn't formally announced it yet. He has achieved everything there is, and has nothing left to prove.
