Messi's captured the hearts of the casual World Cup fan unlike anyone else. I don't know a whole lot about soccer -- more or less all I know is that the World Cup happens every few years, is played by national teams, and Messi makes impossible plays. What I do know is all because of Messi, whose wholesome relatability and exceptional ability brings casual viewers like me; I generally avoid sports because the players are hard to relate to or have personal flaws, but I love Messi's strong family roots. I would propose that merely for being a truly exceptional face of the sport he's the GOAT.

Maybe Maradona was that way in his day -- I'm barely aware that he was a good player of yesteryear -- but his drug problems (and the fact that his heyday was so long ago) make him much less relatable or exciting to investigate as a inspiration.

> I'm barely aware that he was a good player of yesteryear

As an English football fan, that cheered me up (it still hurts). I suspect no English football fan could accept Maradona as the greatest.

Do you know about Pelé?

When I was a kid, it seems everyone (even non fans) knew Pelé was the greatest.

I am not interested in sports but when I was in my teens, no other name was associated with any sport as was the name of Pele with football. As you said, it seemed no one was interested in football but everyone knew Pele was the god of his game.

Lol, yeah. That game in 1986 must have hurt. One of the most beautiful goals of all time (which Messi has replicated twice), then that awful hand-of-g-d goal (which Messi, sadly, has also replicated twice).

> then that awful hand-of-g-d goal

everyone celebrates this goal. No fan has ever given him shit about it

I care, what can I say. I want clean fútbol.

Soccer is played by gloriously messy human beings. A bit of schmutz now and then is not so terrible a thing.

That adds to Messi's greatness, since he's not "gloriously messy".

I would say that Messi is gloriously messy.

At the very least we can say he is gloriously Messi.

The second goal should also never have stood. Clear foul on Glenn Hoddle.

36 years on and still seething x)

The Hand of God is a clear foul, but the Goal of the Century is clean as a whistle. Funnily, these two goals alone — both so different — are pretty much the summary of Diego Maradona

I like that take.

It was opposite order. Hand goal, then dribble.

Have you watch this? “Diego Maradona Goal of the Century | Argentina v England | 1986 FIFA World Cup” [1]

[1] https://youtu.be/Da_CDPRG2j0

I was too young to remember the game but I still remember the cultural impact of that goal in England as a kid. The fact we still talk about Maradona surely places him as one of the greats!

I'm not sure it makes sense to compare greats of different generations. In athletics we can clearly see the improvement from generation to generation so if you plucked them out at their heights Messi is probably a better player than Maradona and Maradona a better player than Pelé, but had they all played at the same time who knows?

>Messi's captured the hearts of the casual World Cup fan unlike anyone else. I don't know a whole lot about soccer

How on earth do you reconcile these two sentences lol x)

Answers to "who is the GOAT" that won't upset hardcore soccer fans are the exactly the following set: {Maradona, Pele, Cruyff}.

Nah, Messi was already part of that set for many years, and today he added the only thing missing in his career. Messi is the sole GOAT.

Messi or Pelé, then the other, and only then maybe Maradona.

Only if you have very short memory x) he is part of the greats, but he is not the GOAT of the sport.

Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima

Health issues cutting his career short ensured he won't be in consideration for most people. That said, he truly was phenomenal. Absolutely one of the most amazing to ever play the game.

He would've been the GOAT had he stayed healthy. Consistency and longevity are very important in this debate.

Depends on the definition of GOAT. When he was at his peak, he played the best football ever played.

By the way, both Maradona and Messi when previously asked, have answered something along the lines that that he was the greatest.

> wholesome relatability

Nice one. I think this post will go over most peoples' heads but I had a good laugh.

Nah. I am C. Ronaldo fan. For many he was an inspiration as well. CR7 was unlucky this WC, due to his manager's poor decisions with the Morocco game.

He’s tarnished his legacy with his childish behaviour for club and country over the last year or so.

assists?

Messi is a better player than Maradona, and also a better person. His humility makes him a lot more likable, what can I say. IMO.

Weirdly I think Maradona's chaotic life off the pitch (and I suppose no shortage of controversy on it) sort of adds to his appeal :)

People do like to watch flawed people win, it gives them hope about their own lives.

People like to watch people win that give them the illusion that it could be them.

Hence Einstein was a dummy with poor grades at math (he was not) or failed his exams (he did not).

Messi is actually a jerk. He purposely wanted to sink Lewandowski Ballon D'or nomination (which was well deserved) by voting for a nobody.

Source?

How he avoided jail time for the massive taxeviction fraud certainly makes him more likeable. Certain gods must be above the law.

I loved to see Maradona play. Messi is just a good player who finally got his WC win.

Maybe the bar for "good person" is set too low, if convicted tax frauds are considered good people.

Makes me like him even more.

If you compare Messi's record with Maradona's, there's not much to compare. The latter could have been the best of all time, but he sabotaged his own career.

Have you actually seen Messi play?