Despite being hailed as one of the greatest Argentine players in history, when asked who he believes is the best soccer player of all time, Batistuta didn’t hesitate to give his answer. Speaking to Perform in 2019, he made it clear that for him, the title goes to Diego Armando Maradona.

“He [Maradona] is the best of all time for many reasons. Technically, Messi might be better—there’s not much difference. But from a character standpoint, Maradona had a bigger influence on the game than Messi does just by playing,” Batistuta said.

“For me, Leo is the best in the world today, but Maradona is the best in history,” the former Fiorentina striker continued. “But my opinion isn’t that important—it’s just one opinion,” he humbly added back in 2019.

Batistuta’s fondest memory of Maradona

Batistuta also shared an unforgettable memory of Maradona that has stayed with him throughout his career. He recalled: “Against Greece in 1994, Maradona was standing right in front of me, representing Argentina as captain. It was a dream, that’s it.”

“I scored three goals [in that game], but I don’t even remember them. I only remember Diego. That’s my image, and for me, he’s the best of all time. That’s my memory of him.”

Batistuta ended his response to the question emphatically: “Maybe if you talk to Messi’s teammates, they’ll tell you he’s the greatest. I played with Maradona, not Messi.”

While Batistuta’s comments were from 2019, since then, Messi has gone on to lead Argentina to two Copa America titles, a Finalissima, and the nation’s third World Cup, becoming the country’s all-time leading scorer in the process.

La Albiceleste were racing against the clock against Mexico, until Leo scored a stunner that helped them secure a crucial win. Argentina were once again struggling to find the net against Australia in the Round of 16, but Messi broke the deadlock to score for the first time at the World Cupknockout stages. In the quarterfinals, Messi found the net again by scoring Argentina’s second goal with a penalty against the Netherlands. Against Croatia in the semis, the PSG star scored with a penalty to put Argentina ahead in the first half.

With Messi’s goalscoring production increasing in Qatar, many wonder where does he stand in Argentina’s list of World Cup scorers. With his goal against Croatia, hesurpassed both Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta.

Messi overtakes Maradona, equals Batistuta in World Cup goals for Argentina

With his goal againstthe Croatia, Messi reached 13 World Cup goals with Argentina. Now,La Albiceleste’s all-time top scorers at World Cups is Messi with 13.

• Lionel Messi: 13goals
• Gabriel Batistuta: 10 goals
• Diego Maradona: 8 goals

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