GOAT Debate: Baggio chooses Messi over Maradona and Pelé, Materazzi backs Ronaldo | OneFootball

Italy legend Roberto Baggio feels Lionel Messi is better than Pelé and Diego Armando Maradona ‘for what he’s been doing for 20 years’, while Marco Materazzi picks ‘the real’ Ronaldo.

Baggio and Materazzi joined other football legends for a debate on football, including the best player of all time.

Baggio picks Messi over Maradona and Pelé

The former Azzurri stars were joined by other legends, including Gabriel Omar Batistuta, Ronaldo, and Romario.

When the debate focused on the best player of all time, with Messi, Pelé and Maradona in contention, Baggio said: “It’s very hard; it’s even ugly to rank, as we are talking about the absolute essence of football. These three have been above the others.

“As of today, I’d say Messi for what he’s been doing for 20 years, in terms of quality and quantity. If I have to pick one, I’ll say his name, but we are talking about three incredible players.”

Materazzi, on the other hand, picked another player sitting at the same table: “I always say this, for me, it’s him [Ronaldo]. Because what he did without two knees, going 150 km/h, nobody has done it. I’m a boomer, but when I watch YouTube, and I see what he used to do, at a time when defenders hit hard, you feel he was Martian, and he really was a Martian.

Roberto Baggio smiles during a press conference at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on June 03, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Materazzi waves at Inter fans at San Siro (GETTY)

“Sorry, Diego, Pelé and Messi. To me, it was him, the Phenomenon. The Real Ronaldo, but respect to Cristiano.”

Materazzi won the 2006 World Cup with the Italy national team, scoring two goals during that tournament, including the equaliser in the Final against France. That was the only World Cup Materazzi played.

Baggio, on the other hand, took part in three editions of the World Cup in 1990, 1994 and 1998 and famously missed a penalty in the 1994 Final against Brazil.