Maradona, a legend with a terrible but expected ending. Was it the best in history?

At a global level there has always been a debate about who was the best footballer in history and always focused on the comparison between Maradona and Messi.

It is a discussion between parents and children. The new generations of soccer fans have not seen Maradona play live, if anything they have seen videos of the many documentaries that exist about the Argentinean star.

In the debate of who was the best often appear other stars like Di Stéfano or Pele. Sometimes also Cruyff, Zidane or others.

Nowadays, and especially when a World Championship is approaching and Argentina is being discussed, the topic is always "who is better? Diego or Lionel".

The last years of Diego Armando were always marked by very dark and unpleasant issues. The protagonist was alcohol, drugs and the continuous outbursts of tone. That's why his ending didn't surprise us despite being a young person, 60 years old, and an internationally famous sportsman.

I think it is best to remember that Diego was a very generous, very happy, sincere person and a soccer genius.

In the comparison with Messi I think that everyone wins in different aspects.

Messi's extensive career, thanks to a life focused on his profession with very healthy habits, contrasts with what is now considered El Pelusa's short career. They both started out very young, but Diego was soon no longer in the elite.

Messi was fortunate to be on a winning team with unbeatable quality such as F.C Barcelona de Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta and company. Diego was also in Barcelona, but with all due respect, with a teammate of a lower level than those named with Messi. Furthermore, it is said that the problem of addiction began in Barcelona with some of his colleagues.
Maradona went to Naples in 84 and there with a discreet team won two teams and a UEFA Cup.

The defenders of Maradona's candidacy to be named the best player in the world are hiding in the national team, since he made them world champions in Mexico in 1986. Lionel has not managed to lead the Argentine national team to the world title.

Let's say that, at the European level, in the champion league, the former European Cup, Messi has won more titles. Also more league championships with his team, F.C. Barcelona. The "lint" in this section loses to the azulgrana star.

It is very difficult to evaluate which of the two footballers has been better, first because Messi is still active and in a first level team, second because soccer has changed a lot. Currently with the VAR you can not violate the rules of the game.
In Diego's time, if VAR had existed, the games would never end, repetition after repetition, the harshness of the game, sometimes violence, the picaresque or the traps according to what you call them, the lack of control of the fans and some transmissions with less quality than the current ones did not let you see many times these details nor the soccer qualities.

They are two very similar players in their game: extraordinary dribblers, with a privileged vision of the game, a touch of the ball that made them infallible in the passes, very successful in the direct free ones and with a speed with the ball in the feet devilish.

One, who fortunately has seen them both play, live and on television, many times, I think Messi is a great player, a player who unbalances the games alone and a leader.
But, Diego besides having Messi's qualities also treasured an extraordinary physical strength. He was able to withstand the violent attacks of his rivals while maintaining his verticality. Sometimes, when these challenges exceeded the most permissive limits, they ended up in injuries like the one that produced Andoni Goicoechea, player of Athletic de Bilbao, breaking his ankle.

Diego was all heart and a great athlete. Just look at some of his actions. That's why it's more sad to see the physical deterioration and the end he has had.

The unquestionable question would be: What would Leo have achieved in the Naples of the 80's and with the Argentinean team in 86 and what would Diego have achieved in the Barsa de Guardiola and the Argentinean team of the last years?

We can't say for sure, but I think that Diego led a second level team to win two teams and Argentina to win the world championship.

In any case and with the permission of Pelé and Di Stéfano (footballers I never saw live) Diego and Messi and Diego are the two best footballers in history and Argentina in spite of its pain must be proud to have these two legends among its compatriots.