1. Having trouble logging in by clicking the link at the top right of the page? Click here to be taken to the log in page.
    Dismiss Notice

Diego Maradona 1960 - 2020

Discussion in 'World Football' started by Liam Scales, Dec 9, 2012.

Discuss Diego Maradona 1960 - 2020 in the World Football area at TalkCeltic.net.

  1. stew37

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2012
    Messages:
    8,880
    Likes Received:
    5,902
    Ancelloti with a tear in his eye for the tribute at the start of the Everton game.
     
  2. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2008
    Messages:
    68,190
    Likes Received:
    33,555
    Location:
    London
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Lubomir Moravcik
    Fav Celtic Song:
    You'll Never Walk Alone

    He also doesn’t get extra points for the bullshit tackles argument. Worse tackles doesn’t magically increase a player’s ability.
     
    King of Kings likes this.
  3. eire4

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2006
    Messages:
    16,869
    Likes Received:
    6,188
    Location:
    Chicago USA
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Henrik Larsson
    Truly one of the games greatest ever players. I still remember fondly watching him all but single handed winning the World Cup for Argentina in 1986. A true legend.
     
    packybhoy and King of Kings like this.
  4. AwesomeCaz

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2011
    Messages:
    8,453
    Likes Received:
    560
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Rogic
    The point is, clearly, that Messi or any other modern player would have had lawyers involved and been literally sat crying if they'd suffered 1% of what Diego suffered on-pitch. The fact he rode insanely dangerous challenges every single match and dominated with poor teams makes him the undisputed GOAT. Messi has a better passing range and scores more but plays in a team and a time suited almost entirely to his attributes.

    Put it this way, does Messi produce a 90 goal season with a beer belly, cocaine addiction and 80s brutality fouls?
    Or how good would Maradona have been with modern diet, physios, masseurs, doctors, medicine, training and Messi-level protection from referees and authorities?
     
  5. King of Kings

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Messages:
    13,008
    Likes Received:
    10,065
    Location:
    Glasgow
    Fav Celtic Player:
    boruc
    Nah, that’s just nonsense in all honesty.

    The GOAT in almost every major sport is a very rare blend of exceptional talent and obsessive desire to improve and succeed. You absolutely don’t get extra points simply for lacking in the desire department, in fact it’s exactly that obsessive chase for perfection that has given Messi a level of consistency that even Maradona never achieved. Someone liked Ronaldo doesn’t get marked down simply because he has the drive to turn himself into one of the best athletes on the planet - it’s a major part of what makes him so good.

    I don’t believe Maradona would’ve had the same success in the modern game if he still had the coke addiction and beer belly either. There’s no doubt that the game has come on massively in terms of player athleticism. I actually believe he would adapt though, probably being picked up by a European side early on and given all the support modern players get.
     
    Callum McGregor and stew37 like this.
  6. King of Kings

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Messages:
    13,008
    Likes Received:
    10,065
    Location:
    Glasgow
    Fav Celtic Player:
    boruc
    It’s worth noting as well that Messi is on the receiving end of his fair share of tough challenges. It isn’t the same as Maradona faced, but he’s absolutely not some shrinking violet who can me roughed up easily.
     
    Callum McGregor and stew37 like this.
  7. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2008
    Messages:
    68,190
    Likes Received:
    33,555
    Location:
    London
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Lubomir Moravcik
    Fav Celtic Song:
    You'll Never Walk Alone
    Absolute nonsense.

    You can't use hypotheticals that will never exist to try and prove your point, we can only go on what they've actually done, and Messi wins every single time.
     
  8. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2008
    Messages:
    68,190
    Likes Received:
    33,555
    Location:
    London
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Lubomir Moravcik
    Fav Celtic Song:
    You'll Never Walk Alone
    Exactly and this is almost always ignored.
     
    King of Kings likes this.
  9. packybhoy Administrator Administrator Gold Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2011
    Messages:
    39,051
    Likes Received:
    32,682
    Location:
    In your heart
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Danny McGrain

    I think you have to take into account that Maradona played in an era when cameras were not pointing in every angle to cover every blade of grass or every stroke of the ball. Messi and Ronaldo maybe are involved in the harsh end of the modern game but it cannot be compared to what was going on in the 70s-90s.Todays players are much more protected. Diego made a name for himself over the years and he took the bad press and the punishment because of his flawed genius but he made the game exciting and put bums on seats. He played with a flair and freedom that is only seen in glances in modern football. He was an artist with the ball and wasn’t restricted to play a mundane setup preferred to a particular managers style. That’s what made him an individual and a magician.
     
  10. Officer Doofy Come to me, human man Gold Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2011
    Messages:
    60,839
    Likes Received:
    31,022
    Impossible to say.

    They can only be judged on their footballing ability and what they achieved in the game, during their time. And as incredible as Maradona was, Messi has surpassed him.

    To claim Maradona is the “undisputed GOAT” is laughable, when Messi scoring less than 40 goals a season is seen as a disappointment. And that’s not even taking into account his dribbling and passing.
     
  11. King of Kings

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Messages:
    13,008
    Likes Received:
    10,065
    Location:
    Glasgow
    Fav Celtic Player:
    boruc
    No doubt that the game isn’t as rough as it was in Maradona’s time, but I don’t think that can justifiably be used to assess one versus the other. Very few sports don’t become more refined over time with more consideration given to the safety of the participant. It’s not as if there are no question marks that go the other way either - could Maradona kick his vices? Could his body cope with the pace and gruelling schedule of modern football? Would he successfully be at the top of the modern era for 15 years, or would he be the best for a much shorter period of time?

    Would absolutely agree that he played with a flair and freedom which is rarely seen in modern football, but it’s also why I would contest the idea that Messi is playing in an era that is perfectly suited to his style of play. Individualism has largely been stamped out of the modern game, Messi being an obvious exception.

    None of this should be taken as a knock on Maradona btw. I just disagree with most of the reasons given for him being better than Messi, and in particular with the notion that he’s miles ahead of him. It’s entirely possible that Messi is better at football than any other athlete I’ve ever seen is at their own sport.
     
  12. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2008
    Messages:
    68,190
    Likes Received:
    33,555
    Location:
    London
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Lubomir Moravcik
    Fav Celtic Song:
    You'll Never Walk Alone
    Tackles aren't as vicious, but defences now are much harder to break down and are far better tactically, along with defenders being more athletic. The standard of the modern game is simply better now.

    Maradona didn't have the mental strength of Messi. Even in his autobiography he admits he wanted to leave Serie A for a quieter, easier league and tried to join Marseille. Messi has mesmerized so many like no one else has before, is also an artist with the ball and mundane or restricted aren't words I'd use to describe Messi's career at all. People try and claim he single handedly won the World Cup or Serie A. He didn't. Argentina had a good side albeit he was the undoubted star, he still had to cheat to get past England. With Napoli, that side had a huge amount of money spent on it for the time, and if that hadn't happened they wouldn't have gotten near the Serie A even though they had Maradona.

    There just isn't a sensible argument for Maradona being the GOAT, because Messi and Ronaldo have surpassed him.
     
  13. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2012
    Messages:
    160,757
    Likes Received:
    88,535
  14. Marty McFly Whoa, this is heavy

    Joined:
    May 11, 2014
    Messages:
    39,691
    Likes Received:
    38,171
    Location:
    Hill Valley
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Broony
    Fav Celtic Song:
    Celtic Symphony
    BBC 2 right now...
     
  15. scootz

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2011
    Messages:
    8,404
    Likes Received:
    3,065
    Location:
    Scotland
    It's the age old sporting debate of now v then.

    21st Century players are MUCH fitter, faster, stronger. more athletic and more professional than they were previously.

    The question should be 'would Maradona have excelled the same way today had he been exposed to modern training, nutritional science, etc.?'.

    And the answer has to be a resounding 'No'. Simply because his head was all over the place. Some might claim that then opens up a second question, 'but what if the modern training, etc. straightened out his mind?'. Moot point not worthy of debate for me as we're now building a completely different human-being.

    Maradona was the best of his time. And probably the best there had been up to that time.

    But GOAT? Not a chance!

    Doesn't mean that his career wasn't littered with magical moments though and that his death isn't noteworthy.

    That goal against England alone is a glorious thing... oh, and the one after the mazy run wasn't half bad either!

    :56:

    On that note, how * embarrassing was the national news reporting of his death - wheeling out the still-bitter Shilton to call him a cheat, * embarrassing!
     
  16. PaddyBhoy Gold Member Gold Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2010
    Messages:
    12,711
    Likes Received:
    768
    Fav Celtic Player:
    Joos Valgaeren
    When it comes to the goat argument. Theres only one winner for me and hes still playing for blaugrana

    However diego was obviously the best of his era. Special player. You know you're a special player when your nation has 3 days national mourning when you die
     
  17. stew37

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2012
    Messages:
    8,880
    Likes Received:
    5,902
    Brilliant player, probably the best of his era, and perhaps the most recognised character of the game.

    Not the greatest player of all time in my opinion, all things considered. Still go with Messi.
     
    seanm likes this.
  18. seanm

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2013
    Messages:
    8,191
    Likes Received:
    5,532
    when did messi singlehandedly win the world cup lol. diego WAS the man. ronaldo tweeted he was the best and had left a void that would never be filled.HH
     
  19. stew37

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2012
    Messages:
    8,880
    Likes Received:
    5,902
    That doesn't make him the official hands down greatest of all time though.

    Ronaldo tweeting that doesn't make it so either. Wouldn't be surprised if he was saying that because he knows Messi is better than he is! :56:

    Edit: Just reading Ronaldo's comments and he didn't really say that anyway lol
     
  20. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2012
    Messages:
    160,757
    Likes Received:
    88,535