The debate about who is better, Messi or Maradona, is once again in the news. The legendary German player, Bernd Schuster, addressed this issue in a dialogue on Radio de Santa Fe, published by the Spanish newspaper AS.

The former Barcelona player highlighted the clear difference between the two most important 10s in Argentina’s recent history, even sharing a dressing room with Pelus at Barcelona.

Alexis Mac Allister reactivates the question: who is better Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi?

“We saw the veteran Messi. He is no longer the guy who made everyone fall in love with his football and that was the only thing that mattered to him. With his seniority, with his age, he has grown a lot,” Schuster would begin his conversation with the Santa Fe media.

Pelé gave Diego Maradona five pieces of advice. Which Argentinian didn’t listen?

“There is only one small difference that I see between Diego (Maradona) and Leo (Messi), and that is that Diego was more open. He told everyone what he felt. Messi is not so capable of saying ‘I die for my country, I die for my people’. He’s thinking about it from the inside, that’s what comes to me. Diego transferred a lot of what he felt to his teammates, to his fans, that’s why everyone loved him so much. Messi keeps it to himself, but his attitude on the field is similar,” he would say.

“I don’t know Messi personally enough to know how he thinks. I have met many great players who say they retire from football after reaching the top. They keep that last final, that last trophy, that success and then retire. At least from the national team,” the Teutonic would emphasize.

Schuster admitted, however, that the Argentine star still has many years of football left in his legs. “Messi can still play for a few years. That’s why he keeps the desire. He has football in his head. He is in a comfortable place, like Paris, it is a comfortable club for him. He no longer has that requirement like the European giants. Of course they will want to win the Champions League, at least once, after so many years of trying. He can play there for a few more years.”

When asked about the possibility of seeing Messi at the 2026 World Cup, Schuster was less clear. “I can hardly see. You can never say no. He has a lot going on and takes care of himself a lot. I don’t know. Today, players last longer because everything has improved. Children, physiatrists, doctors… help the body to last many more years than in my time. It could be that he arrives, but I can see that it is difficult. Without a doubt,” the German said at the end. (D)