Messi and Maradona ? lol
When Messi could take a shit Italian side and make them win everything then he could tie Maradona tug lacings.
Do some research on what Maradona do in Napoli.
Read carefully..I was talking about Diego before he even went to Barca. Of course Messi is not at the level of Diego at Napoli. Which part about comparing two 21 years olds do you not get. telling me to do research? learn how to read
Filho I eh so sure about Diego! After the U20,s everybody was anticipating Diego and Ramon Diaz on the World stage. Diego had a fantastic season with Argentina Juniors in 81 and he had lit up England and Scotland on his debut for Argentina. Yes Zico & Platini were the talk of the town, especially Zico as many felt he under achieved in 78. Platini had emerged as a majestic player, but almost all of football was talking about Diego come 82.
Read carefully what I said. People were talking about Diego as a potential world beater, but make no mistake, he was not the finished article or anything like the Diego poeple were anticipating before 86 World Cup. Prior to 82, Diego was still overshadowed by the likes of Zico and Platini who were near their prime and better known to a world-wide audience. It didn't help that Diego did not really meet expectations. And nothing you've said cannot be said about Messi. People were dying to see whta he would do in WC 2006 and the world knew he was something special after he burst on the scene at the Under 20 WC. At Germany, he sizzled in his few cameos. Many still say today that Argentina would have gone further in the WC in 2006 if they'd played Messi more. Unlike Diego, Messi's reputation was enhanced after his first WC..and Messi was a good 3 years younger. If you take away all the nostalgia, and selective memory, anyone can see Messi is ahead of Diego in his development and accomplishments as a player...
age for age.
I like Messi and he will suffer by comparing his short career to a player who had a complete, legendary career.
In other words it could be nostalgia talking but Messi is still not the phenom Diego was as a youth.
Diego was the hope of Argentina as a 12 year old, juggling and skillsing off on TV. Argentinos tap up his family since then and give his pops and family easy work and gifts before they could pay him a salary. The only reason he was not in the 78 squad was because he played the same role as Kempes back then.
As for 82, Platini and Zico were great players in their prime who dominated games. To be honest Messi just doesn't have that kind of competition now. And for Maradona's influence on Barca, he wasn't there long and the team was no good, but he still score goals. Messi blossoming in a team that win the CL when he was breaking through, he has much better talent around him.
Yeah messi is the same kind of phenomenon Diego was as a youth. And don't get too carried away about him being the hope of Argentina at 12. he was not. He used to juggle ball at half time at Boca games, so the whole of Argentina was awed by the skills of this youth, but it is a myth to think that people actually assumed a 12 year old was the savior of Argentina just because he could juggle. And Messi was scooped up by Barca at 12 as well when they noticed he was special..again paying for his family and taking care of them. The parallels are uncanny. And Messi was sick too..required weekly treatment for some kind of growth deficiency that cost something like $1,500 a week. No team like Barca that used to producing their own champions taking that kind of risk on a foreign 12 year old who sick if he wasn't unreal.
We agree on Zico and Platini...I think people suspected that Diego was going to be bigger than them..but he was a youth who still had to prove himself at international level and outside of Argentina..kinda like tongues were wagging about Messi since he was 17, but it is ridiculous to thnk people were seriously saying he was the best in the world back then. However..wait and see..when Messi's career is over, if he develops into a true phenomenon like Diego..people will be giving inaccurate synopses of how great he was and how he was the hope of Argentina when he was 6 years old
Daiz just how it is I guess
And JDB..today's great players are just as good as yesteryear's and will be legends in their own right. We just elevate the players we saw through the eyes of kids and we've also tend to forget the deficiencies and remember the greatness. Kids of today willbe in awe of Messi, Pato, Kaka, Robinho, C Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic and co..the same way we were in awe of PLatini, Zico, Maradona (maybe not him..he ended up being one of a kind in that era), and co...Is how each generation goes
