If the late Diego Maradona had one last impact on football, let it be that he brought an end to the needless "Greatest Of All Time" discussion.
For the longest time, I felt it was normal to label Lionel Messi the greatest footballer that ever lived. Me, who missed the 100-plus years of football before Messi, and me, who will miss many years of the sport in the future.
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I, without hesitation, would jump to his defence every time somebody said otherwise, whether in person or on the internet, and although my militant stance on the matter had already waned, although I learned control over the past year or so, I am now prepared to completely abandon the pointless discussion once and for all, and Diego Maradona's sad passing has played a huge role in this, but perhaps not in the way you might expect.
Last week, a few days after the news that the legendary Argentine had suffered a heart attack at his home in Tigre, I was sitting with my significant other watching a TV programme that replayed old clips of the great and widely revered Maradona. This programme touched on the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina, and how, generally, if you are from Brazil, you believe Pele is the greatest of all time, and vice versa. I had a realisation. As these interviews with these former professional players from each country played, all that stood out to me was the fickle nature of what they were saying. The Brazilians preferred Pele, the Argentines preferred Maradona. While I do not discount either superstar's cultural impact on the beautiful game in their respective countries and all around the world, it all began to sound a little silly. Passionate, but a little silly, obsessive even.
Perhaps the most important moment of this epiphany was my girlfriend turning to me and asking: "Does any of this matter? Why are people so obsessed with trying to decide who the best is?" Now, I get it. I understand why these discussions, whether formally or informally, are had, it is part of being a fan, but I think it is time we recognise we will never all be able to categorically say which footballer is the best of all time. We never have been. Not only is there no straightforward metric upon which to judge this, but football is a feeling, like music. Two people can listen to the same song and feel differently about it, and two people can watch the same player and feel differently about them. Trophies, goals, assists, appearances, impact, all those things can be used to make cases for those who are considered among the greatest footballers ever, but doing that ignores context and nuance, and there is always context and nuance.
As Pele got his hands on the 1970 FIFA World Cup trophy in Mexico, his third time lifting it, I am sure fans never imagined seeing a footballer quite as incredible and unique. I am sure they never imagined a player being as impactful to the time and the broader culture. But along came Maradona, who, like Pele, changed the sport forever. Nobody had seen a player as magical, as dominant, and as naturally gifted as he was. With his personality, style and speed, Maradona embodied football like no other player had; it was as if the ball was under his spell, perhaps no more so than during his time at Napoli and at the 1986 World Cup. I imagine supporters who witnessed his playing days mourned the day Maradona retired, like I imagine I will mourn when Messi does.
Click through the gallery below to see Messi's recent tribute to the late Maradona:
I have not seen a greater player than the Barcelona captain, but maybe only because I have derived more joy from watching him than from any other footballer, and perhaps that is only because I did not grow up watching the likes of George Best, Rivellino, Pele, Maradona and Johan Cruyff. Had I started watching football in the 1960s or 70s, maybe I would think differently, and that is the context which makes up my feeling. Sure, I can educate myself by watching old tapes, by reading old books, by listening to what many say or have said about those aforementioned icons, but I have watched Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo week in and week out for more than 15 years! Neither of them has won a World Cup, but none of those legends have done what Messi and Ronaldo have in Europe's strongest leagues and in the UEFA Champions League.
Did Messi and Ronaldo play on those old, patchy and muddy pitches, and with those heavy boots and heavy balls? No, but technology back then was not so advanced that every move and pass, every blade of grass covered, was analysed by a computer and used in opposition dressing rooms by managers preparing to face them. Is it fair to use this as an argument to say they are the two greatest footballers of all time as the likes of Pele and Maradona were not examined to the extent that they are? I do not think it is. In the same way we cannot hold Ronaldo and Messi to the standards back then, neither can we hold Pele and Maradona to the standards of today. But again, more important than the complexity of the discussion, it simply should not matter.
Click below to see how Argentines flocked to the streets to mourn the 1986 World Cup hero:
Admittedly, I get more frustrated with the cliche "let's rather appreciate them both" line when it comes to the Messi and Ronaldo debate than I do with the comparisons, but I guess that is not too far from what I am asking when it comes to the "GOAT" discussion. Let's appreciate them all. Let's recognise that the only conclusion this conversation has is: it is impossible to say. Going forward, let's adjust the angle of the question from "who do you think is the greatest of all time?" to "who is your favourite player of all time?" To a 70-year-old man in Brazil, it is likely to be Pele. To a 50-year-old man in Argentina, it is probably Maradona. To a 20-year-old in Argentina, maybe Messi. To a Manchester United fan who started paying attention to Real Madrid in 2009? Ronaldo.
At the end of the day, football is an art form, and art, I believe at least, is subjective. We stare at the same painting and experience different emotions, sometimes unexpected and unexplainable emotions, and sometimes no emotions at all. Just because I value a certain piece over another does not make the other one any less perfect.
Rest in peace, Diego Armando Maradona.
To borrow Messi's words: "Diego is eternal", and your untimely death has impacted my outlook on football forever.
