Former Argentina player, Mario Kempes has opined that Argentina captain and superstar, Lionel Messi will never be able to better the late Argentina legend, Diego Maradona “even if he wins four World Cups in a row.”
Last weekend, Messi ended his lack of trophy with Argentina after claiming a long-awaited maiden Copa America triumph against Brazil.
Since Messi has won the Copa America, it leaves the World Cup as the lone major honour the 34-year-old is yet to collect, however Kempes has claimed that, for all his achievements, he will always be in the shadow of Maradona.
“For Messi, the misfortune is that he was the replacement for Diego Maradona,” Kempes, who won the World Cup in 1978, told ESPN .
“And it is very difficult to overshadow Diego, with the idolatry that he has received around the world
“If [Messi] wants to be better than Maradona, he is not going to achieve it even if he wins four World Cups in a row.
“He still hasn’t won the World Cup. No matter how many [titles he] wins or what he wins, it can never be compared to what Diego did.”
Messi’s Copa America success further intensified debate over whether he can be considered the greatest modern footballer of all time or whether Cristiano Ronaldo who won with Portugal at Euro 2016 – is his equal or superior.
Maradona passed away last November aged 60
