Thoughts from my friend Fernando(from Peru) who is an ardent fan of Messi. Fernando has seen Beckenbauer, Pele, Maradona, etc play.
“I love Messi because he is the best I have seen who in his best can beat any defender. Messi looks like a complete footballer we haven’t seen in decades and probably won’t see one in ages to come.
Who is more technical? I think Maradona. He was so good with the ball at his feet and the best player at all kinds of situations. Maradona was never too impacted by his teammate's performances. I wish Messi is the same, not too impacted when his teammates don’t perform well. Messi is a complete player for me while Maradona was the best fighter”
I haven’t seen Maradona but I think it’s tough to compare players across different generations. All I can think of is how blessed are people like Fernando who are lucky enough to watch the evolution of Football from Pele to Messi.