Lionel Messi won't surpass Diego Maradona,even wining Four world cups in a row; says Mario Kempes

 



Lionel Messi finally won a major international honour with the Copa America, but Mario Kempes feels he is still behind late Diego Maradona.


Lionel Messi will never be able to better Diego Maradona "even if he wins four World Cups in a row", says Argentina legend Mario Kempes.



The forward finally put an ended to his international drought with the Albiceleste after claiming a long-awaited maiden Copa America triumph against Brazil on Saturday.


It leaves the World Cup as the lone major honour the 34-year-old is yet to collect for club - with Barcelona - and country, but now Kempes has claimed that, for all his achievements, he will always be in the shadow of his late compatriot, a cultural icon within his home country and around the world.


"For Messi, the misfortune is that he was the replacement for Diego Maradona," Kempes, who won the World Cup in 1978, told ESPN . "And it is very difficult to overshadow Diego, with the idolatry that he has received around the world


"If Leo Messi wants to be better than Maradona, he is not going to achieve it even if he wins four World Cups in a row.


"He still hasn't won the World Cup. No matter how many titles he wins or what he wins, it can never be compared to what Diego did."


The Copa America triumph furthers GOAT debate between Leo Messi who just won his first international trophy and Cristiano Ronaldo who won Euro 2016 with his country and UEFA Nations League.


Cristiano Ronaldo has now won 34 major honours at club level - including the Copa del Rey last season under Ronald Koeman - but save a gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Leo Messi had not won silverware with his country until this month.


His haul in terms of pure trophies far exceeds that of Maradona, who passed away recently.

Messi will now be able to discuss about his future after his contract expiration with Barcelona last month.


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