Past vs Present: Diego Maradona vs Lionel Messi - Who is Argentina’s greatest No.10?

Argentina’s two greatest heroesery few players in the history of world football are universally accepted as genuine icons of a generation, and even fewer still are heralded in the echelons of the sport’s all-time elite.Naturally then, when these special talents do come along, it’s impossible for human curiosity to resist speculating on where they stand amongst the game’s other time-tested heroes.One of the more commonly eulogised cases pits the imperial Lionel Messi against Argentina’s 1986 hero Diego Maradona.Both Albiceleste skippers have been regularly heralded as the game’s greatest ever talent, but who is Argentina’s best ever No.10?Here are our thoughts on the eternal debate:

#1 Goals

Its the most important part of football and therefore becomes the easiest starting place for this debate. Whilst El Diegos record is great, it doesnt even come close to the mind-blowing returns posted by his younger compatriot.

There are arguments over Maradonas exact statistics, but it is accepted that he scored roughly 311 goals in just under 600 appearances. Whilst that return does place him amongst the upper echelons of footballs greatest ever marksman, it is miles shy of Messis groundbreaking accomplishments.

The Barcelona and Argentina star has played 555 matches for club and country, notching an astounding 436 strikes in that time. Its a phenomenal rate, which is made all the more impressive when if you discard his teenage years as an upcoming talent.

Messis incredible goalscoring abilities are best underlined by his exploits in 2012, which saw him net a world record 91 goals in a single calendar year.

The power balance is reflected by their international records too, with Messi scoring 45 in 97 compared to Maradonas 34 from 91.

Both players will eternally be remembered as two of the most prolific marksmen to ever grace the beautiful game. When it comes to cold hard facts, though, the stats never lie. Messi is king.

#2 Trophies

Make no mistake; individual achievements are great and every top player craves recognition for their personal accomplishments within the game. However, legends of the game are formed on collective triumphs and winning trophies will always be the ultimate aim.

When it comes to football honours, there is no greater prize than lifting the FIFA World Cup. Pele, Bobby Moore, Zinedine Zidane the worlds greatest ever talents are all celebrated for their heroics at sports biggest event, which is a major negative factor when discussing Messis credentials for being named historys best player.

Had Messi led Argentina to victory over Germany on July 13th 2014, there would be very little arguments as to who is the greatest ever. He didnt, though, which gives Maradona a massive edge in this mythical showdown.

Maradona not only captained his generation of Argentina stars to the trophy in 1986, he pretty much dragged them through the tournament, ahem, single-handedly. The irresistible superstar was absolutely unplayable in Mexico, either scoring or assisting 10 of his sides 14 goals.

Counteractively, Messi does boast the superior haul of club medals with six league titles and three Champions League crowns. In reply, Maradona only claimed two league wins and a UEFA Cup triumph.

However, plenty of players have won domestic or European honours but only 20 have skippered an international team to World Cup victory. Maradona has to claim the point.

#3 Adaptability

If the lack of a World Cup winners medal is used to counteract claims of Messis standing as the greatest player ever, the main ammunition for arguments suggesting he isnt the best in the current generation is the fact he has only ever starred for one team.

Could he do it on a wet Wednesday night in Stoke? is a common reservation placed at the foot of Messis credentials. Whilst there is little doubt that he would perform well in any league on the planet, questions surrounding his ability to replicate those performances outside of Barcelona remain valid.

It took a good few years for Messi to really find his feet on the international stage and some would suggest that his inability to score in the latter stages of last years World Cup prove that he still hasnt fully mastered that arena. In the case of Maradona, though, the former Argentina hero proved himself both in and outside of the Camp Nou.

Maradona lit up crowds in Spain, Italy and his homeland Argentina as well as the greatest stage of all at Mexico 86, integrating into a varying number of teams and systems throughout his career.

Adaptability? That has to go to El Diego.

#4 Raising The Bar

Striving for improvement even when youre at the top is the mark of any great sportsman and is often a factor that separates generational greats from all-time legends. Whilst an impeccably behaved Messi continues to reach for better results, Maradona regularly fell to exterior distractions.

One of the main reasons behind Messis legendary status is the longevity of his powers. Still only 27, the little magician has dominated defences for the best part of a decade straight as eight consecutive FIFPro World XI inclusions will attest.

Whilst some sections may feel sorry for both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are prevented only be their respective rival in the quest to attain universal acknowledgement as the worlds current greatest player. In actuality, though, that heated competition only serves as an extra incentive for each competitor to continually strive for more.

There end to Messis era of excellence shows no sign of ending anytime soon and, considering his relative youth, its genuinely quite frightening to think what he will have achieved by the time he eventually hangs up his boots.

With only nine years separating Maradonas first and last league title successes, there will be no question in terms of longevity when we re-evaluate this debate in 10 years time.

Equally, whilst Maradona was satisfied to let his career dwindle in its twilight, Messi continues to search for new ways to ensure his domination will continue for years to come.

Sorry Diego; this one belongs to Messi.

#5 Entertainment Factor

While lifting silverware is the main ambition for any world-class football, one of the chief reasons behind our love of the sport is sheer entertainment. Both the current and former Argentine icons have been blessed with the gift of producing magical moments time and time again.

Messi is a magician on the ball and he regularly achieves feats that nobody else could. However, despite his obvious ability to wow audiences, he isnt the current generations standout entertainer.

Regardless of your views surrounding the never-ending Messi v Ronaldo debate, there is no question that it is the Real Madrid idol who garners the most attention. It could be argued that, in a superficial era where vulgar sums of money are spent on advertising, the Portugal captains star attraction isnt solely down to on-field qualities but the fact remains that Ronaldo is the main men when it comes to public interest.

Likewise, the majority of Barcelona fans would agree that Ronaldinho, Messis Camp Nou predecessor, was a far more exciting player capable of pulling out moves that even their current superstar would fail to replicate.

Conversely, Maradona was by far the most gifted and skilful player of his era and it is also worth noting that he produced the goods at a time when offensive stars werent so well protected.

His iconic mazy run against England is the perfect example his herculean capabilities, especially at a time when defenders could get away with far more before receiving major punishment as is verified by the fact Maradona holds the records for being fouled the most times in a single World Cup match as well as a single tournament.

When it comes to lighting up the grandest stage of all, Maradonas brilliance at World Cup 86 has to be regarded as the single greatest individual performance over the course of one tournament. For four weeks, an entire planet was absorbed by his magic whilst his unpredictable nature certainly added to the entertainment.

In terms of putting fans on the edge of their seats, nobody compares to the World Cup-winning skipper.

#6 Records

They say that records are there to be broken; Messi prefers to bulldoze them.

Eulogists of yesteryear will discount a number of records held by the current Barcelona legend, citing that the hasty nature of introducing new titles in recent times has been absolutely farcical. Whilst that is true who cares if Messi has scored the most goals in Argentina friendlies? - there is no disputing some of his more notable achievements.

As it stands, Messi is the current record holder for most FIFA Ballon dOr awards; most goals in La Liga history; most goals in Champions League history; most goals in Barcelona history; and most assists in La Liga history. You simply cannot argue with that.

Maradonas, admittedly still impressive, appear modest in comparison. The majority of his records do come for Albiceleste, which some may say is the best barometer for analysis due to their similar number of caps, but even the most ardent fan would struggle to make a case for the former superstar here.

Despite being the only player to garner a world record transfer fee twice, Maradona comes nowhere near to matching Messis astonishing individual accolades.

#7 Conclusion

The beauty of these mythical cross-generational debates is that the discussion could go on forever. Unfortunately, the nature of the beast also dictates that nobody will ever possess the definitive answer.

What we do know, however, is that both Argentine No.10s have given the game some of its greatest ever moments and each player should be celebrated for his individual accomplishments.

We do have a winner, though, as Messi takes the crown.

Its true that Messi has enjoyed the luxury of being surrounded by genuine world stars and you could argue that Barcelona would still be a very good side without him. However, he is the unquestionably the extra weapon that sparked the Catalan clubs reign of domination.

Moreover, you simply cannot argue with his longevity. Granted, his achievements have all come at one club, but the goalscoring records alone highlight what a phenomenal talent he has, and continues to be.

Unfortunately for Maradona on this occasion, despite his obvious credentials, his footprint on the pitch is a little tarnished by a string of discrepancies off it. Its easy to forget that large chunks of his latter career were spent in exile for drug abuse and his cheating antics are another detrimental factor to his ranking.

Messi might not be the greatest for Argentina, but he is the greatest Argentinean.