Fat Ronaldo - Yep he was something else before the dodgy haircuts and his legs gave in from being hacked in half every game.
For me Maradona is probably the greater when compared to Messi. Messi has done jack shit at international level. Maradona carried Argentina on more than one occasion. He also played in Seria A when that was so full of talent it oozed from every pore.
Best Iāve ever seen. RIP.
Still angry with Peter Reid for not putting a tackle in, mind.
Never would have figured Pele would be still around after Maradona. Pele was semi-mythical, saw him in recorded footage, but I watched Maradona doing some of the things that are recorded footage now, with similar voice-overs.
People sort of forget that when he went to Serie A, the league was in its pomp, the elite club league in the worldā¦but Napoli absolutely were not. The season before he arrived there, they missed relegation by a point, the season before by 2. It would be as if West Ham or the like secured one player next summer, and immediately became a contender.
Although he cops the abuse (rightly so) for the hand of god goal, the second was just magical. Was it as good as Owenās? 10% either way Iād go. But he was a magician anyway you stack it. Might have spun off the mortal coil a little prematurely due to, erm, issues, but a a footballer, right up there.
So fully fit and firing, who do you have starting for us?
Maradona
Messi
Ronaldo (fat or toned)
Suarez
Now thereās a debate.
It was, and I used to watch it in awe. The ability of simply striking a ball was miles ahead of anything in the UK at that time. Ball control too.
The players that were there at that time made it an insane league - Hugo Sanchez, Batistuta, Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta, Nedved, Baggio, Matthaus, Klinsmann, van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard, Vialli, Mancini etc etc. Frightening talent everywhere you looked.
It really isnāt.
Maradona was better than the rest of them put together.
Great painting, did he sneeze on it?
RIP Diego. The most balanced player Iāve ever seen. A genius.
Iām not so sure. Granted I didnāt watch him from the stands every week but what I did see of him he was brilliant but levels better? Not in my opinion. I might be wrong but he scored THE goals when they really mattered. Wet Tuesday (DONāT MENTION STOKE!!!) Okā¦
Weāve had some magical strikers, was he really that much better?
Someone had definitely had a go at defacing itā¦it wasnāt meā¦ 
He wasnāt a striker. He was nominally an attacking midfielder but was really far, far more than that.
Iāve been watching the game since 1978 and I honestly have not seen anybody better.
Suarez in his pomp come close? Heās the best (technical, skill-full, ruthless) player Iāve seen.
Suarez was like Maradona Lite. I can certainly see the similarities.
both street fighters, with unbelievable skill
for when the going got tough, they got going,
both players who could lift a team and drag it to victory,
not like Messi,
Robbo clips him round the ear,
and he sulks the rest of the game!
If you put a montage together of āalternativeā Liverpool highlights, Robbo putting Messi in his place is top 3 and Iām putting that behind Robbie sniffing the line and any Bobby dancing 
Anyone thinking about reading the Telegraph āobituaryā, donāt bother. I got through the first sentence and bailed.
Disrespectful, bitter shite (not that youād expect anything else from the Telegraph).
RIP
He was the magic of football
The grainy footage, the mystery, the arrogance, the brilliance
Defined 80s football.
Defined football.
Even his name was just magnificent.
Diego Armando Maradona
More than just a name
The Belgium game was the Semifinal of the 86 World Cup. The game England should have been in were it not for the cheating genius.
I remember crying in school the next day. I was 9.
I hated him and loved him. He was just magnificent. Less than 5 minutes separate the Hand of God goal and the Goal of the Century goal. Those 5 minutes encapsulates Maradonaās life. Destructive but beautiful, controversial but revered, devil and angel.
Messi is a fantastic player but Iāve never seen him do what Maradona could do and do it with equivalent nonchalance, arrogance, instinct and swagger.
If only this could have been a team that stayed fitā¦
Not sure about the back four and keeper, very PL centric! But that front sixā¦ thatās some collection of supremely gifted players who were cut down by injury (some self-sustained).