'We were all fortunate to see Lionel Messi' - Juan Roman Riquelme suggests Argentina captain may be above Diego Maradona after stellar 2026 World Cup campaign
Riquelme believes that every Argentine has had the privilege of witnessing Messi's career and acknowledges that the captain has compelled supporters to rethink the greatest debate in football."We were all fortunate to see Messi. When we had Maradona, we thought there wouldn't be another like him, and then he appeared, and he even makes us wonder if he's better," Riquelme told TyC Sports.He also praised Scaloni's achievements, saying: "Scaloni is among the best in the history of our football. We are grateful for the joy he, his coaching staff, and the players have given us. It makes me very happy because we all grew up together; Scaloni, [Walter] Samuel, and [Pablo] Aimar have known each other since we were 14, and [Roberto] Ayala and I went to the 2006 World Cup together."While discussing Argentina's greatest teams, Riquelme refused to single out the current squad as the country's finest, instead paying tribute to every generation that has delivered success. He thanked legendary coaches including Carlos Bilardo, Cesar Luis Menotti, Alfio Basile and Scaloni, while also acknowledging Mario Kempes' role in Argentina's 1978 World Cup triumph despite never seeing him play."Bilardo, Menotti, Scaloni, Basile… all the coaches who have won and brought joy to the country, we have to thank them, and also the players who won in each era," he added. "Winning isn't easy. Having Maradona was incredible, and having Messi was incredible. I can't speak about Kempes's time because I was just born in '78, when Kempes and all his teammates gave us the World Cup."I didn't see him play, but from what I hear, he was very good, and he was fundamental in that World Cup for the National Team to win. I think we have to thank them all. We are lucky that we were able to see them all play, but as Argentinians, I have to thank them for all the joy they gave us."
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