Reception
"I've seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentinian football and his name is Messi."
– Diego Maradona hails the 18-year-old Messi as his successor in February 2006.[68]
A prodigious talent as a teenager, Messi established himself among the world's best players before age 20.[61] Diego Maradona considered the 18-year-old Messi the best player in the world alongside Ronaldinho, while the Brazilian himself, shortly after winning the Ballon d'Or, commented, "I'm not even the best at Barça", in reference to his protégé.[432][433] Four years later, after Messi had won his first Ballon d'Or by a record margin,[75] the public debate regarding his qualities as a player moved beyond his status in contemporary football to the possibility that he was one of the greatest players in history.[15][402][434] An early proponent was his then-manager Pep Guardiola, who, as early as August 2009, declared Messi to be the best player he had ever seen.[435] In the following years, this opinion gained greater acceptance among pundits, managers, former and current players,[116][436] and by the end of Barça's second treble-winning season, Messi's superiority, ahead of Maradona and Pelé, had become the apparent view among many fans and pundits in continental Europe.[437][438] A frequent dismissal, however, has centred on the fact that Messi has not won the FIFA World Cup or any other major trophy with Argentina, leading the majority in the sport to instead cite him as arguably the best club player in history.[439] In particular, Messi's apparent lacklustre performances outside of Barcelona have also led to opinions that, despite all his otherworldly ability and greatness, Messi may not perform nearly as well on another team.

Argentina fans with Messi and Maradona banners at the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Throughout his career, Messi has been compared with his compatriot Diego Maradona, due to their similar playing styles as diminutive, left-footed dribblers. Initially, he was merely one of many young Argentine players, including his boyhood idol Pablo Aimar, to receive the "New Maradona" moniker, but as his career progressed, Messi proved his similarity beyond all previous contenders, establishing himself as the greatest player Argentina had produced since Maradona.[23][313] Jorge Valdano, who won the 1986 World Cup alongside Maradona, said in October 2013, "Messi is Maradona every day. For the last five years, Messi has been the Maradona of the World Cup in Mexico."[440] César Menotti, who as manager orchestrated their 1978 World Cup victory, echoed this sentiment when he opined that Messi plays "at the level of the best Maradona".[441] Other notable Argentines in the sport, such as Osvaldo Ardiles, Javier Zanetti, and Diego Simeone, have expressed their belief that Messi has overtaken Maradona as the best player in history.[442][443][444] In Argentine society, Messi is generally held in lesser esteem than Maradona, a consequence of not only his perceived uneven performances with the national team, but also of differences in class, personality, and background. Messi is in some ways the antithesis of his predecessor: where Maradona was an extroverted, controversial character who rose to greatness from the slums, Messi is reserved and unassuming, an unremarkable man outside of football.[286][445][446] An enduring mark against him is the fact that, although through no fault of his own, he never proved himself in the Argentine Primera División as an upcoming player, achieving stardom overseas from a young age,[19][286] while his lack of outward passion for the Albiceleste shirt (he does not sing the national anthem and is disinclined to emotional displays) have in the past led to the false perception that he felt Catalan rather than truly Argentine.[319] Despite having lived in Spain since age 13, Messi has said: "Argentina is my country, my family, my way of expressing myself. I would change all my records to make the people in my country happy."[447] Moreover, several pundits and footballing figures, including Maradona, have also questioned Messi's leadership with Argentina at times, despite his playing ability.[448][449][450] In November 2016, with the Argentine Football Association being run by a FIFA committee for emergency due to an economic crisis, it was reported that three of the national team's security staff told Messi that they had not received their salaries for six months. He stepped in and paid the salaries of the three members.[451][452]

Messi has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo (left) throughout much of their careers.