Messi and Maradona the Most Important Footballers in History: Tata Martino
The debate over the greatest footballer of all time continues, but discussions about the most important players in football history are less common. Legendary coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino has now weighed in, naming Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona as the most important footballers in history.
Mr. Martino’s Atlanta United lost 3-1 to Mr. Messi’s Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday, with the Argentine superstar scoring twice in impressive fashion. After the match, Mr. Martino described Mr. Messi as one of the most important players in football history. In his view, Mr. Messi and Mr. Maradona stand above others in terms of their historical importance to the game.
Mr. Martino has a long history with Mr. Messi. He coached the forward at Barcelona, later worked with him in the Argentina national team and subsequently managed him at Inter Miami. Mr. Martino is now in charge of Atlanta United. Speaking after the MLS match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Mr. Martino said, “Mr. Maradona and Mr. Messi are the most important players in the history of football.”
He added, “For the past 20 years, I have been talking about the qualities he has in different places, and he continues to deliver performances at exactly the same level.” Mr. Messi played a key role in securing Inter Miami’s victory. Germán Berterame opened the scoring with a header from a Luis Suárez cross just before half-time.
Mr. Messi then extended Miami’s lead with two goals in the second half. In the 56th minute, the Argentine star scored after combining brilliantly with Mr. Berterame. Just four minutes later, he beat Junior Alonso with an individual effort to score his second goal and Miami’s third.
Fafa Picault pulled one goal back for Atlanta from the penalty spot in the 89th minute. With his brace, Mr. Messi took his tally to 25 goals in the current MLS season, establishing himself as the league’s leading scorer.
Inter Miami secured their third consecutive victory to remain second in the Eastern Conference with 55 points. Meanwhile, Atlanta United’s chances of reaching the playoffs have become increasingly difficult, with the team sitting on 30 points.
Mr. Martino said Mr. Messi’s extraordinary ability to decide the outcome of matches remains undiminished. Referring to Mr. Messi’s performances at the World Cup, he stressed that the forward still has the ability to change the course of a match on the biggest stage.
