Diego Maradona, Jr. the son of the Argentine legend, has spoken out ahead of Barcelona’s clash with Napoli. The trip marks the first time Lionel Messi will play against the club most closely associated with Diego Maradona, Sr.
Maradona, Jr. has given his opinion about the inevitable comparisons between his father and Messi.
“Messi comes close to him obviously, I always said that Messi is much better than Ronaldo. He’s close to him, but you can’t compare a human being with an alien,” Maradona, Jr. told Spanish radio.
“I get up from the table and leave, because I will not sit there comparing Messi with Ronaldo. I tip my hat to Ronaldo because he’s a great forward, but he has no comparison with Messi. No one today compares to Messi,” he said.
“Messi is a phenom, yes, Messi is a player that if he chooses to score five goals in a game, he does so. There is no drama, he plays with a calmness and quality that is incredible. I adore Messi. Those who criticize Messi have no clue when it comes to football.”
Maradona, Jr. also known as Diego Sinagra due to his mother’s last name, is a footballer with a long career in the Italian lower leagues. He started out in Napoli’s youth system, and was born in Naples. His mother is from the area, as well.
“I was a good player but the expectation was too much, they wouldn’t let me grow in peace,” he reflected.
Still, he said he loved his father and was proud to be his son, and wouldn’t change him for anything. He was also clear that to him, Maradona was the best ever, and that would never change.
“I always say the same, the only player that won the FIFA World Cup by themselves was my old man, the rest needed help. In the last few years, Messi had no help.
“[Maradona] never spoke badly of Messi to me, to the contrary, he always spoke well of him. My old man loves Messi a lot. It makes sense that my old man loved him, because they always had a good relationship.
“If the two ever played together, we could close it all down and give all the cups to the team that had them.”
