"An animal" "Reminds me of Gabriel Batistuta" - When Diego Maradona made incredible claim on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate

The late Diego Maradona once provided a brilliant response when he was asked to give his take on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo GOAT debate.

Both superstars have contested for the coveted title for well over a decade, dominating European football in their primes. They have now won 13 Ballons d'Or between themselves, proving that they are on a different level from their peers.

Prior to his tragic death, Argentina icon Diego Maradona encapsulated both Messi and Ronaldo in a near-perfect way. While he naturally sided with his compatriot, he was also full of praise for the latter, likening him to Gabriel Batistuta.

Maradona said (via SPORTbible):

"I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal. I wish he was Argentine. He's incredible. He makes me think of Gabriel Batistuta. As soon as he touched the ball, it was a goal."

"From the few players that I saw, amongst the greatest were [Alfredo] Di Stefano, [Johan] Cruyff, Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo could be in there as well."

He added:

"I can't remember having seen Lionel Messi play badly. There are players who have been touched by a magic wand. We Argentines are proud that Lionel Messi is Argentinian."

"The other one is an animal. Ronaldo is pure power, and now he's also a sorcerer. He said he'd score three goals and he scored three goals."

Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta was a feared striker with an eye for goal, just like Ronaldo. He netted 297 goals in 551 appearances in his club career.

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Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Comparing careers stats of both superstars

Lionel Messi was recently crowned the 2023 Ballon d'Or winner, his eighth in total, taking him three above Cristiano Ronaldo. While the GOAT debate may truly never be settled from this, let's compare both megastars' career stats.

Messi has scored 821 goals and provided 361 assists in 1045 appearances across all competitions for club and country, averaging a goal contribution every 73 minutes. He has also won 44 trophies, the most honors in football history.

In contrast, Ronaldo has netted 862 goals and registered 245 appearances in 1192 appearances in total, averaging a goal contribution every 88 minutes. He has won 34 major trophies in his career, playing in more European leagues than Messi.