Diego Maradona: Football icon once chose countryman Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Diego Maradona: Football icon once chose countryman Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

- Diego Maradona is considered by many as the greatest player of all-time

- The legend who died on Wednesday, November 25, once had his say over the Messi vs Ronaldo debate

- Maradona admitted that he wished Ronaldo was an Argentine, but he prefers Messi

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Diego Maradona once had his say on the unending debate between countryman Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over who the better player is.

Football fans across the globe are split between these two legends who have dominated the football space for almost a decade and a half.

Messi and Ronaldo share a staggering 11 Ballon d’Or titles between themselves with the Argentine having six while his Portuguese counterpart has five in his kitty.

Many consider Diego Maradona to be the greatest to ever play the game of football but he also aired his personal opinion on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate. He said as cited in Mirror:

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"I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal. I wish he was Argentine. He's incredible. He makes me think of Gabriel Batistuta. As soon as he touched the ball, it was a goal."

"From the few players that I saw, amongst the greatest were [Alfredo] Di Stefano, [Johan] Cruyff, Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo could be in there as well."

Diego Maradona: Football icon once chose countryman Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo
Diego Maradona says he prefers Lionel Messi but Ronaldo is incredible. Photo: Alex Livesey
Source: Getty Images

Maradona also applauded his compatriot Messi when he stated that the 33-year-old is among the few with the magic wand. He added:

"I can't remember having seen Lionel Messi play badly. There are players who have been touched by a magic wand. We Argentines are proud that Lionel Messi is Argentinian.

"The other one is an animal. Ronaldo is pure power, and now he's also a sorcerer. He said he'd score three goals and he scored three goals."

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Barcelona may have found a way to keep Lionel Messi at the club beyond next summer as their presidential hopeful Emili Rousaud considers naming Camp Nou after him if elected next year.

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The 33-year-old's current deal with the Catalans expires at the end of this season and there are indications he is likely not to renew.

Although many believe the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will not leave the La Liga outfit next summer, his refusal to commit his future to them is something to worry about.

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