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AC Milan and Italy legend Alessandro Costacurta once shared his experience of playing against a 16-year-old Lionel Messi. The former player had also weighed in on the eternal debate over two of Argentina's greatest players, Messi and Diego Maradona.
During an interview with Sky Sports in 2020, Costacurta recalled the first time he faced Messi, revealing that he had asked then-AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti to sub him off after just 15 minutes. He also hailed the Barcelona legend as 'more of a genius' compared to another Argentine great, late Diego Maradona. The former Italian defender said (as quoted by Nogo Mania):
"I faced Messi when he was just 16. At first, I thought he was just a kid—I was doing whatever I wanted. But after 15 minutes, I had to ask Ancelotti to substitute me."
Costacurta added:
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"I was lucky to play against both Messi and Diego. They’re similar in their brilliance and the way they express themselves on the pitch, but Messi is more of a genius than Maradona. The difference is, we could make 66 fouls on Maradona before getting booked. With Leo, it’s different. Football now is something else."
Lionel Messi is the most decorated footballer of all time, both in terms of team honors and individual honors. He has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times while winning 45 trophies throughout his career, which is also the most in professional football. Diego Maradona, who won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina, is regarded as one of the most gifted players of all time.
When Lionel Messi named the best forward he had ever seen
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi once named Ronaldo Nazario as the greatest striker of all time. Throughout his illustrious career for club and country, Messi played alongside and against some of the greatest footballers of his time.
However, while speaking to TyC Sports in 2020, he named Brazilian former superstar Ronaldo Nazario, saying (via SPORTbible):
“Ronaldo Nazario was a phenomenon. Of all the strikers I have seen, for me he was the best. An impressive player from any aspect.”
Ronaldo Nazario won the FIFA World Cups with Brazil in 1994 and 2002 while also winning the Ballon d'Or twice. However, he suffered several serious injuries in his career, which prevented him from posting numbers like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Brazilian striker played for clubs like Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and AC Milan. He made 99 appearances for Brazil and recorded 62 goals and 32 assists.
