Matthäus: Maradona and I Were Like Messi and Ronaldo Today; We Ultimately Achieved Greatness Together

German football legend Lothar Matthäus accepted a media interview and talked about his relationship with Diego Maradona back in the day.

Relationship with Maradona

Diego was the best player of my era. We were just like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo today. But they don’t communicate with each other and don’t meet up after games. Diego and I were different—we spent a lot of private time together and would gather after matches.

On the pitch, we were fierce rivals. We weren’t exactly friends back then, but I think we brought out the best in each other. In the end, we mutually elevated each other to greatness.

On Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

I don’t want to say Messi is definitely better than Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s hard to compare; they’re different types of players. Cristiano is more powerful and physically gifted, while Messi is the most agile player and his style is more entertaining to watch. I’m a fan of Messi, and that’s because of his footballing style.

Germany’s Group Stage Exits in the Last Two World Cups

This is completely not what we expect from the national team. What is Germany lacking? Passion.