Messi, Maradona, Riquelme and Veron are from another planet...Messi is the best No. 10 in Argentine football. -File Photo

BUENOS AIRES: Argentine Football Association President Julio Grondona says Lionel Messi is the best player to ever wear the No. 10 for the national team, an obvious slap in the face for Diego Maradona.

 

In a radio interview, Grondona said Messi, Maradona, Juan Roman Riquelme and Juan Sebastian Veron were in a class above the rest although he said “Messi is the best” of the group.

Grondona's comments are a dig at Maradona and part of a feud. Last week Maradona said he was taking Grondona to court, accusing him of spreading false information about his problems with drugs and alcohol. Maradona says he has been clean for six years and Grondona has suggested otherwise.

“Messi, Maradona, Riquelme and Veron are from another planet.”

 “Messi is the best No. 10 in the history of Argentine football,” Grondona told Radio 10.

In an interview last week, Maradona accused the 79-year-old Grondona of being senile calling him “gaga” in Spanish and suggested he was receiving treatments several times a year at an expensive Swiss clinic.

Grondona responded, suggesting everyone was aware of Maradona problems.

Maradona has been unable to find work since being released by Grondona following Argentina ouster five months ago in the quarterfinals of World Cup. It was Grondona who hired Maradona two years ago as the national team coach.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...