Diego Maradona's divisive opinion on whether Lionel Messi needed to win a World Cup
The late Diego Maradona was never one to hold back his thoughts, and he was candid in his judgment of whether Lionel Messi required a World Cup victory to define his legacy.
Argentina produced probably the two greatest footballers of all time decades apart, but off the field, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi couldn't be more different.
Maradona, a former big figure in the game, was the sort to occupy both the front and back pages with his off-field exploits. Messi, on the other hand, maintains a very quiet profile for someone who has won seven Ballon d'Or trophies and nearly every team title available.
Nonetheless, the comparison between Messi and Maradona has been made since the former emerged onto the scene as a fresh-faced adolescent at Barcelona in 2004 because of where they are from and their similar skills with a ball at their feet.
Both played for the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou, but it was Messi who truly shone. With 672 goals and 266 assists, he redefined what fans felt was a 'good' season, taking contemporary football to places few expected to see.
Despite his amazing efforts in Spain, Messi was often harassed by fans who claimed he couldn't replicate his club heroics for his nation. Argentina's succession of losses at World Cups and the Copa America only served to amplify the anger.
Many believed that Messi could never be crowned the greatest of all time if he did not lead Argentina to World Cup triumph in 1986, as Maradona did. However, not everyone thought Messi needed to win the tournament to enter the debate over who is the best to put on a pair of boots.
Maradona himself believed that Messi's place among the finest was secure regardless of World Cup success.
"Alone, he will not be able to win the World Cup," the late, great Argentine explained. "You'll need a strong team for that." Messi will be remembered throughout football history.
"As much as he has given the sport, football has given him a lot, and to win a World Cup, in my opinion, would not bring him anything else."
Unfortunately, Maradona never got to watch Messi finally shake the World Cup monkey off his back and go the distance in Qatar 2022. By that time, he had left Barcelona and was playing for Paris Saint-Germain, where he will join in the summer of 2021.
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