Dubai: Diego Maradona has scoffed at recent claims made by Brazilian great Pele this week that the three time Ballon D'Or winning Argentine striker Lionel Messi still couldn't be considered one of the game's greats.
Pele told Le Monde: "When Messi scores 1,283 goals like me, when he wins three World Cups, then we can talk about it again… People ask me all the time: ‘When is the new Pele going to be born?' Never, My father and mother have closed the factory." But at his weekly pre-match press meet, Al Wasl coach Maradona had reporters in hysterics as he jumped to the defence of Messi, his fellow countryman and supposed footballing heir.
Maradona said: "This is due to old age affecting Pele's decision-making. You can't blame him for comments like this, he hasn't done anything in 20 years. I've not even seen him go out to the supermarket. Journalists ask him questions because he's got nothing else to do with his life and he tells them stuff like this."
