During an appearance at a Euro 2016 event, Diego Maradona talked with Brazilian soccer legend Pele. Those two, along with Lionel Messi, are the three best players in the history of soccer. When Pele asked Maradona if he knew Messi — widely considered the best in the world among current players — Maradona's response was nothing short of shocking: "He's a really good person, but he has no personality. He lacks the character to be a leader."
Pele then continued, "Ah, I get it, he's not like we were back in the days. In the '70s, we (Brazil) had really good players like Rivellino, Gerson, Tostao." Pele was admitting that when he played he often had other excellent players on his team. This wasn't always the case for Maradona or Messi.
However, both Maradona and Pele are wrong in their assessment of Messi. Anybody who says that Messi has no personality hasn't seen his last game, Argentina vs. Panama, when he scored a stupendous hat trick that showed, as if it were necessary, why he is the best in the world today. And with a personality of his own: that of a humble, perfectionist adored by fans all over the world.
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