Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
Speaker: This has been so far, Messi has carried Argentina because the second game as well against Mexico, they were struggling and he scored the goal. If Messi was to win this World Cup, there's been this never ending Messi versus Maradona debate. If Messi was to win the World Cup, would this take him above Maradona? Would this make him the greatest player of all time, let's say?
Speaker: It would certainly make those claims much more valid, in my opinion, because by that means he would have basically completed football. I mean, he would have won the Olympics, he would have won Copa America, he would have won the World Cup. He's won everything at European club level. He's missing what? Copa Libertadores, which I'm sure he can sort out in the twilight of his career, if that's what he wants to do.
Speaker: But he he will have completed football, wouldn't he? I mean, he would have won everything there is to win. So there will definitely be a be a be in terms of career wise. I think, yes, I don't think anyone can can say anything against that in just terms of what he's accomplished in his career. But if you look at the level that he reached when at his best and compare that to Maradona, those years, 86 to 89,
Speaker: Just I was doing this because I was sick over the weekend and had lots of spare time. And what one does when one is sick is one naturally goes back and rewatches every single game that Argentina played in the 1986 World Cup. Why not? And, you know, seriously.
Speaker: Yes, the tempo is lower, but the defending is ruthless. If I did that to someone on a pitch, I'd be sent to prison. Did you see the pitches in 86 as well? Exactly. Did you see when you went on that run? Yeah, exactly. And if you want to talk about heat, if you want to talk about
Speaker: the level of protection or non -existent from the referees, and then you look at what that man does. Most of his impressive things that he does in those games are chances that his teammates can't even score, tap -ins they miss, that no one even remembers because they didn't turn into goals. The level that he played at in 1986 at the World Cup is the highest any player has ever played at in World Cup history.
Speaker: Yeah, there's no doubt about that. It's just that simple. I'm in agreement with you completely. I think that depends how you analyse this. I think if you're going to look at who is the greatest club player of all time, just put it at club.
Speaker: I think it's hard to look past Messi. Certainly if we're looking at the greatest one club player of all time, I think it has to be Messi. Like what he did, just all the records he broke and all the goals he scored, the assists, the numbers back it up.
Speaker: trophies he won, but the part that he played in all those trophies, the impact that he had, the influence that he had, absolutely incredible. Obviously, there's always the argument that Messi only really did it for one club. I know he's gone to PSG now, but he's playing in a poor league. Let's see if he can do it in the Champions League and take them to win the Champions League. If he does that, then you can add that as well. Some players have done it in more leagues.
Speaker: in different environments. But I do think that if you're looking at a club player, Messi probably is the greatest club player of all time.
