I agree, both are incredibly talented players.
Probably one of the reasons why Maradona is seen as a god is because of the political tension between Argentina and England, and the mythical goal scored by hand, among other things like that.
Messi is seen a bit more like a good kid, whereas Maradona would be the naughty kid, so there's a huge difference between them.
But technically Maradona and Messi are extremely talented.
Both are equally talented. But apart from that, there are hardly any similarities between these two - both in terms of football and personal life. Maradona couldn't handle all the fame, and ended up being an alcoholic. For almost two decades, he was addicted to cocaine and some of the other hard drugs. Suffered from obesity as well. Died at the age of 60, and at the time of his death he was all alone. Messi on the other hand has maintained a good reputation in public. I am not badmouthing Maradona, but he was not exactly a role model.
Yes, you are quite right. Maradona made a big mistake in this regard. He lost himself in the power that fame gives him. He did things that an athlete shouldn't do. Liones Messi is living a life just the opposite of this. That's why Messi is still able to play football at this level at this age. Maybe he doesn't realize it because we're in the same era right now. But years from now, when we look at what Messi has done, we will understand more clearly that he is the best in history. Because there is no one who can achieve what he is doing. It seems impossible for us to watch someone like him in the years to come.
