Maradona Or Messi? Pope Francis Add Third Name To GOAT Debate

As the controversy around the greatness of football players continues, Pope Francis believes a third option is being overlooked about whether Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona is the best ever player.

The Argentine icons are frequently considered the best players to have ever played the game. The question of who is the greatest player of all time is still up for debate, though.

READ ALSO: Messi Reveals His Favourite Goal Of Glittering Career After Claiming Eighth Ballon D’Or

Messi, having now guided Argentina to World Cup success for the first time since the days of Maradona and won a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or, has gained some more support in the debate, while others add Cristiano Ronaldo as a candidate.

And while Pope Francis is an admirer of the Inter Miami star Messi and ex-Napoli sensation Maradona, he says late Brazilian icon Pele deserves more respect.

“I would add a third, Pele,” he said to Rai1. “They are the three I have followed. All three are great, each with his own speciality. At the moment Messi is very good.”

Pope Francis went on to reference Maradona’s battles with addiction, saying: “Maradona as a man failed, poor thing, he slipped, the people around him didn’t help him. He came to see me the first year [I was pontiff]. [His life] ended badly. It’s funny, many sportsmen end badly, even in boxing. It’s curious.”

He continued, “Messi is quite correct; he is a gentleman, and Pele is also. Pele is the most gentlemanly of the three of them. He has an enormous heart for a man. He’s a man of enormous humanity, I said to him when we chatted on a plane in Buenos Aires.

Messi will probably play when Argentina plays Uruguay and Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers later this month.