Comparing Messi to Maradona is a joke - Crespo

Former Argentina striker Hernan Crespo thinks comparing Lionel Messi to Diego Maradona is ridiculous as the latter was indescribably good. Opinion is split over where Messi ranks among the all- time greats, with some suggesting that the Barcelona forward could have been mentioned as the Napoli legend's equal had he guided his country to World Cup glory this summer - something he came very close to achieving until Germany triumphed in extra-time in the final. Crespo, whose Argentina debut came a year after Maradona's international retirement and whose final cap came when the Barcelona star was still a promising talent, hates judging players from different time periods. "You cannot compare players from different eras," the current Parma youth coach told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "It is unfair. "When I was on the pitch myself, I was being marked by Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Lilian Thuram... See what I mean? "Some people fall into the trap of wanting at all costs to compare Messi to Maradona. But you've got to be joking - Messi is extraordinary, but you cannot describe Maradona's ability in words."