“Even better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi” - When Glenn Hoddle named greatest footballer ever
Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle once named Diego Maradona ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the GOAT debate. The Englishman was paying tribute to the iconic No. 10 following his death in 2020.
Hoddle was part of the Three Lions team who were undone by Maradona in the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal. The legendary Argentine scored the infamous 'Hand of God' before dribbling almost the entire England team to double the score.
Speaking to The Daily Mail in November 2020, Hoddle pointed out that the performance summed up Maradona as a player.
"It was the rascal in him that did that. Then the second goal was out of this world. In many ways that summed up Diego. The first with the rascal and then the genius with that goal," said Hoddle.
In conversation with The Standard at around the same time, Hoddle also insisted that Maradona was better than Messi and CR7.
"For me, he was the best player on the planet at the time and the best I have ever seen - even better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. What he could do on these pitches now would be phenomenal, and with the rules as well. So yeah, it has got to be Maradona (the best of all-time)," said Hoddle.
Diego Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020, aged 60.
What did Diego Maradona say about the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo debate?
Diego Maradona once acknowledged Cristiano Ronaldo's qualities, but revealed that he prefers Lionel Messi to the Portuguese. Speaking in 2018 to TyC Sports, El Diego also pointed out that the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner had never had a bad game.
"I can't remember having seen Lionel Messi play badly. I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal. He's incredible," said Maradona.
Maradona stated that Messi didn't need a World Cup to be remembered in football history.
"Alone, he will not be able to win the World Cup. You need a solid team for that. Football history will remember Messi. Football has given him a lot, as much as he has given the sport and to win a World Cup, in my opinion, wouldn't bring himself anything else," said Maradona.
Sadly, Diego Maradona was not around when his rightful football heir powered Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.