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Source: ESPN
Messi atoning for injustice inflicted upon the ‘God of Football’
Comments: Md. Imrul Hasan,Senior Vice President of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), President of Bashundhara Kings. Imrul Hasan revealed his thoughts of FIFA World Cup 2026 to this reporter on Sunday.
When discussing “Who is the greatest footballer of all time?”- The names of Pele and Maradona inevitably come first.
After Pele, Diego Maradona dominated the football world in his own unique way. When it comes to the debate over the greatest footballer.
Lionel Messi now emerged as the golden boy of football after Maradona’s departure.
The very same man who, exactly a decade ago in 2016, bade farewell to the national team with a heavy heart-stung by criticism and tormented by a sense of unfulfilled ambition-is today the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup history.
Given his superhuman performances in the 2022 World Cup and the current tournament so far, it is inevitable that he will be mentioned in the same breath as legends like Pele and Maradona.
If he maintains this level of consistency in the remaining matches and has the good fortune of lifting the World Cup trophy, he will rise even higher, surpassing his predecessors. He is none other than “LM-10”.
The 1994 World Cup, much like this one, was also held in the United States. Heading into that tournament, Argentina had gone 31 matches unbeaten.
However, following a crushing 0-5 defeat against Colombia just before the World Cup, Alfio Basile was compelled to bring Diego back as a captain.
Maradona returned to the World Cup, having lost weight under the care of a trusted physician and honed his form through solitary training to show his greatness to the world last time.
Argentina made a spectacular start with a 4-0 victory, featuring a goal from Maradona.
But fate had a wry smile… the real bombshell came next. Ephedrine was detected in the doping test.
The superstar was banned for a year and a half. His World Cup campaign came to an end.
In 1994, Maradona was forced to make an ignominious exit from American soil.
In 2026, his successor Messi is elevating the sport to unprecedented heights in that very same country.
Is history, through Messi, atoning for the injustice inflicted upon the ‘God of Football’?
