A former Real Madrid boss has weighed in on the debate regarding who the greatest Argentine footballer ever is, claiming that "Diego Maradona was more artistic and passionate", while "Lionel Messi is the complete package".
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The two footballing legends have long been the attention of widespread comparisons and debate regarding which of them can be considered the greatest player ever to hail from Argentina.
Jorge Valdano, who was part of La Albiceleste's 1986 FIFA World Cup-winning side, gave his take on five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi's brilliance following his hat-trick heroics in Barca's 4-1 victory over Real Betis on Sunday night.
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"I believe that every successful team must have a genius," the former Los Blancos manager told Onda Cera.
"There are some teams who are more renowned for having exceptional coaches, whereas others are known for having superstars.
"Barcelona still would have been hugely successful without Lionel Messi, but they certainly would not be at the same level they currently are with him in the side.
"Would Barcelona have won as consummately as they did against (Real) Betis without Messi? The answer is no. Would they have performed as excellently as they did in the Champions League last week without Messi? No. The impact that Messi has on every game should not be understated; he is the star man and when he plays well, so does the rest of the team."
Valdano went on to acknowledge both Messi and Maradona's excellence, but refused to name one as being better than the other, citing the differences in their playing eras.
"I will never say that Messi is better than Maradona, and vice versa," he added.
"It is very difficult to compare the two players when they both played in very different eras. They are both equally as talented as each other.
"Diego Maradona was more artistic, more passionate. But Messi is the complete package.
"Maradona would still be unstoppable in this day and age, just as Pele, Alfredo (Di Stefano) and Johan (Cruyff) would."
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Messi has played 37 games across all competitions for the Blaugrana so far this season, scoring 39 goals and assisting a further 21 strikes.
Which player do you consider to be the greater player, Maradona or Messi? Have your say in the comments section below.
