Scaloni says ‘Messi greater than Maradona’

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has stated that Lionel Messi has surpassed Diego Maradona as the greatest player of all time after winning the FIFA World Cup last year.

Argentina defeated France in the final on penalties last month to clinch the elusive trophy.

"If I have to choose one I choose Leo, I have something special with him. He is the best of all time although Maradona was also great," Scaloni told Spanish radio station Cope on Tuesday.

Argentina fans have sided with Maradona over Messi but there has been a clear shift after the Paris Saint Germain star led his country to the World Cup title for the first time since Maradona inspired them to win it in 1986.

Scaloni also revealed that he prioritised speaking to Messi when he was named Argentina coach in 2018, while the forward was taking a break from international duty following the disastrous World Cup in Russia.

"The first thing we did was have a video call with Messi. He said he was honoured and the first thing we said to him was 'Come back. We'll wait for you'. That's what we did and eight months later he came and found an incredible group," Scaloni added.

"Coaching Messi is not difficult. You cannot correct him on a technical level but sometimes you can instruct him to press or to attack in a certain way. When he smells blood he is the number one."

During the tournament, Messi became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score in each of the following rounds: group stage, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final.

Despite making it to the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, Messi had never scored in the elimination stages before last year's tournament.

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