Simeone hails Messi and Maradona as football's two greatest ever after Argentina icon bows out

Simeone: Argentina fortunate to have witnessed the two best in history

Atlético Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has paid an emotional tribute to his compatriot Lionel Messi, insisting that Argentina have been privileged to witness the two greatest players in the history of football wear the famous blue and white shirt.

The comments come in the wake of Messi bringing the curtain down on a storied international career. The 2022 World Cup-winning captain took to the pitch for Argentina for the very last time on Wednesday, in a friendly meeting with Benin, closing out a historic chapter that featured well over 100 goals, a World Cup trophy and a pair of Copa América titles.

Speaking to the media in the days following Messi's farewell, Simeone — an Argentine icon in his own right — was drawn on the legacy of the man who has now stepped away from the international stage. The tactician, who was careful not to fuel the perennial debate over the nation's finest, instead elevated both of its defining figures.

“I am not going to get into the easy, demagogic game of choosing one of them (Diego Maradona or Messi),” Simeone said. “I was lucky enough to play with Maradona and I was not lucky enough to play with Messi. The truth is that we Argentines are grateful to have had two extraordinary footballers, the best in history.”

The Atlético boss went on to single out Messi's staggering numbers and the longevity of his conduct both on and off the pitch.

“In terms of numbers, Messi is unbeatable. The growth he has shown as a person and as a sportsman has broken every possible barrier, because he has always handled it from a position of respect and good behaviour, and that is difficult to maintain for 20 or 25 years; I do not even know how many years he has been playing now,” Simeone said.

Closing his tribute, the coach reflected on what Messi's era has meant to a football-mad nation that leaned on him through the highs and the lows.

“As an Argentine, I am grateful to him for everything he gave us, because he gave us so much joy, but above all for what he taught us, because he taught us to fight and, when things go badly, to keep insisting. And that is Messi's greatest value for Argentines, at least for me,” Simeone added.