Lionel Messi vs Diego Maradona: Juan Roman Riquelme responds to GOAT question as ex-Argentina star admits he was 'lucky' to play with both footballing icons

The former Argentina international stepped out of the famous youth system at Boca Juniors while 1986 World Cup winner Maradona was still on the club’s books. He would then go on to represent his country alongside eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi when a precocious young talent burst onto the senior scene.

While forming part of an exclusive club of players that have been team-mates of both Maradona and Messi, Riquelme is reluctant to pick between the pair when it comes to the greatest of all-time title. He has told ESPN when presented with that poser: “Maradona? He’s the greatest I saw on a football pitch when I was a child. Now when I grew up, the greatest is Messi. I was lucky to play with both of them, for me it was a very big dream.”

Maradona inspired his country to global glory on Mexican soil, delivering the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal and a remarkable individual strike against England along the way. Messi emulated the efforts of his illustrious countryman when inspiring the Albiceleste to a World Cup crown at Qatar 2022.

Messi is still going strong at international level, while starring for MLS side Inter Miami domestically, with the iconic 36-year-old rewriting the history books with 180 caps and 106 goals to his name. He will form part of a Copa America title defence in 2024, but it is yet to be determined whether he will grace the 2026 World Cup finals that will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.