Lionel Messi news: Barcelona star better than Pele and Maradona, says Senegal icon Diouf

Argentina v Haiti - International Friendly
Argentina v Haiti - International Friendly

What's the story?

Two-time African footballer of the year and former Liverpool star El-Hadji Diouf hailed Argentina captain Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all-time, ranking him ahead of legends like Diego Maradona and Pele.

He cited the Barcelona man's extraterrestrial skills as the reason for his admiration for the left-footed wizard of a footballer.

In case you didn't know...

Diouf is the only Senegalese player to have won African Footballer of the Year twice. He was also an integral part of the Lions Of Terenga squad that defied all odds and reached the quarter-final of 2002 World Cup, having also defeated hosts France in the group stage.

Messi has won almost everything there is to win with his club, but his inability to do the same for La Albiceleste remains the proverbial Achilles heel for him.

Given that now his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo has won two titles for Portugal in the EURO in 2016 and UEFA Nations League in 2019, Messi's international shortcomings have left him exposed to scathing comparisons by the football community to players who have been immensely successful with their national teams like Pele and, particularly, Diego Maradona.

The heart of the matter...

Diouf, himself a prolific forward, put the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on the pedestal based solely on his sheer brilliance, stating his qualities and skill as the fact that make him the single-most outstanding player to have ever stepped on to the pitch. He told FIFA:

“Leo Messi: better than Pele, better than Maradona … and even better than me! (Laughs) What he can do is beyond remarkable. He's an extra-terrestrial.”

Messi was recently crowned the best forward of the year by UEFA at the UCL Group Stage draws in Monaco, though he missed out on the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award, with Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk becoming the first defender ever to be voted as the winner.

He's still in the running for the Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Men's Player award.

What's next?

Lionel Messi is nursing a calf-injury, which saw him miss the LaLiga opener, in which the club suffered a shock defeat agains Athletic Bilbao.

As per recent reports he is set to make a comeback in their new checkered jersey after the international break.

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Edited by Sripad