Zanetti says Messi is still behind Maradona. Lionel Messi has not surpassed Diego Maradona in Argentina’s hall of fame, according to Javier Zanetti, despite winning the 2022 World Cup. With seven goals and three assists, including a hat trick in the championship match that helped Argentina defeat France to win their third World Cup, Messi was the tournament’s top player. The Argentine captain also won a record-breaking second Golden Ball for his performances in Qatar, but Zanetti believes it falls short of Maradona’s achievements, who led his nation to victory at the 1986 World Cup.
When asked if Messi has surpassed Maradona, former Argentina captain Zanetti, who played alongside Messi at the international level between 2005 and 2011, responded as follows to Stats Perform: “Not for me, no. I object to the comparison. We should be glad that Argentina has produced the two best players in history. Messi hasn’t changed, in my opinion. This time, I believe he was able to transfer his leadership to the rest of the group since he is more mature today.”
Regarding Argentina winning its first world championship in 36 years, Zanetti added: “We were eagerly anticipating the incredible excitement the guys gave us, so it was wonderful to finally experience it. The dream of millions of Argentine supporters around the world, in my opinion, was realized. For us Argentines, the final was fantastic because everything appeared to be going our way until France responded superbly.”
Messi broke a few World Cup records en route to triumph. He has surpassed Germany veteran Lothar Matthaus to become the player with the most World Cup finals appearances (26) thus far. After converting a penalty against Croatia in the semi-final, the 35-year-old overtook Gabriel Batistuta to become Argentina’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup play. On December 28, the attacker is anticipated to play in a competitive match for PSG against Strasbourg in Ligue 1.
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