Diego Maradona Brilliantly Answered The Lionel Messi Vs. Cristiano Ronaldo Debate

The late Diego Maradona perfectly summed up the Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate.

Maradona sadly passed away at the age of 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Buenos Aires home on Wednesday.

The sporting world have paid their respects to the 1986 World Cup winner including footballing stars Messi and Ronaldo.

And Maradona had a brilliant answer to football's age old question - Messi or Ronaldo?

Image: PA

Image: PA

Naturally, he sided with his fellow countryman but he wished Ronaldo was Argentine, comparing him to Gabriel Batistuta.

"I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal," he explained.

"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."

Image: PA

On Ronaldo, he added: "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."

The Napoli legend also spoke glowingly about Messi, claiming he has never seen him play badly.

"I can't remember having seen Lionel Messi play badly," he said.

"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."

Image: PA

Image: PA

When asked if Messi could win the World Cup for Argentina alone, he said: "Alone, he will not be able to win the World Cup.

"You need a solid team for that. Football history will remember Messi.

"Football has given him a lot, as much as he has given the sport and to win a World Cup, in my opinion, wouldn't bring himself anything else."

Topics: Football News, Football, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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