Croatia captain Luka Modric has chosen Argentine icon Diego Maradona as the greatest player ahead of La Albiceleste great Lionel Messi.
The late Maradona and Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi are hailed as being the greatest players of all time.
The duo have had incredible careers and are deemed as heroes in Argentina.
Modric, 37, has had the opportunity to play against Lionel Messi for Real Madrid and knows the enormous talent the former Barcelona attacker possesses.
However, in an interview with ESPN Argentina, Modric claimed that Maradona was the better of the two.
He said (via Veronica Brunati):
“For me, Maradona is the greatest. With Messi , Maradona and Leo are the two greats, but Diego is Diego”.
Maradona was an extraordinary talent who played 490 official club games during his 21-year professional career, scoring 259 goals.
He earned 91 international caps for Argentina, scoring 34 goals.
The Napoli legend won the FIFA World Cup with La Albiceleste in 1986.
He lifted the Serie A title twice with Napoli and won the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona in 1983.
Maradona was renowned for his dribbling abilities, quick feet, vision, and creativity.
He was a stocky gem of a footballer who could produce a moment of magic out of nothing.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has become an icon of the game following a mesmerizing career with Barca.
He scored an astounding 672 goals and contributed 303 assists in 778 appearances during his time at the Nou Camp.
The Argentina captain won the Copa America in 2021 and the Champions League on four occasions.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is twinkle-toed, slick, and irrepressible – a once-in-a-lifetime athlete.
Brazilian great Pele chose Lionel Messi as the modern player he’d like to play alongside
Brazil legend Pele has lauded Lionel Messi as the most complete player of the modern era.
The former Santos FC striker was asked which current player he would most like to play alongside, to which he responded (via Gazzetta dello Sport):
“I think Leo Messi. He is a skilled player, gives assists, passes, scores, dribbles well. If we were in a team together, the opponents would have to worry about two players, not just one. Today Messi is the most complete player.”
Messi has been in-form for PSG this season, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists in 19 appearances across competitions.
He has already made an impact at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring twice and helping Argentina qualify for the last 16.