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Juan Roman Riquelme has offered a diplomatic take on the GOAT debate between compatriots Lionel Messi and the late Diego Maradona.
Riquelme, 45, is one of a handful of players to have played with both legends, all for Argentina. Both Messi and Maradona are widely regarded as two of the best players to have graced the game and have won the FIFA World Cup. While Maradona did so in 1986, Messi 'completed football' 36 years later in Qatar.
Having grown up idolising Maradona, Riquelme said that the late maestro was the greatest player for him at the time. Years later, after he played with both Maradona and Messi, he recognised the latter's world-class prowess.
“Maradona?," Riquelme told ESPN (as per GOAL). "He’s the greatest I saw on a football pitch when I was a child. Now when I grew up, the greatest is Messi. I was lucky to play with both of them, for me it was a very big dream.”
Riquelme made 27 appearances together with Messi, making seven joint goal contributions, with the former assisting Messi in four of them.
Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona are two of Argentina's greatest players
Both Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi enjoyed great success with Argentina, culminating with FIFA World Cup glory. The two players were left-footed, and had similar playing styles and statures, and also played for Barcelona.
Maradona bagged 32 goals and 20 assists in 84 games for Argentina between 1979 and 1994. His last goal for the Albiceleste came in the 4-0 win over Greece in the first group game of the 1994 World Cup.
Messi, meanwhile, has made 180 appearances for the reigning world champions. The 36-year-old Inter Miami attacker has contributed 106 goals and 56 assists. Seven of those goals and three assists came in their victorious World Cup campaign in Qatar last year.
While Diego Maradona won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina, Lionel Messi has won two other trophies apart from the competition's 2022 edition: the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 Finalissima.
