The similarities between Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi in the context of the FIFA World Cup have become increasingly notable after Argentina’s loss in the 2026 final.
Softfootball reported that Maradona led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup and returned to the final in 1990, where they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Germany.
Messi’s trajectory mirrors Maradona’s closely. After helping Argentina secure the World Cup in 2022, he returned four years later to lead his team back to the final, only to face a 1-0 loss against Spain, the reigning European champions, in 2026.
Spain’s triumph marked a landmark achievement, as La Roja not only won the World Cup but also captured the main individual awards of the tournament.
Though the teams faced were different, the parallels in Maradona’s and Messi’s World Cup experiences are striking; both legends claimed their first World Cup and then reached the subsequent final four years later, where they lost 1-0 to a European side.
Football often echoes its past, and the careers of Argentina’s two footballing icons continue to reflect remarkable resemblances.
