Mario Balotelli has named the one player he believes is “maybe” better than Argentina’s World Cup hero Lionel Messi.

Messi continues to roll back the years with sensational performances for his country in the United States, Mexico and Canada. At the age of 39, he continues to carry his nation on his back, firing them into the last 16 with seven goals in just four games.

The footballing world recognises Messi as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players to ever grace the pitch. The Barcelona icon has won a record-breaking eight Ballons d’Or and made history throughout his illustrious career.

While the Inter Miami forward is heading towards the end of his story, he continues to make an impact on the biggest stage. There’s every chance he becomes a two-time World Cup winner and further cements his legacy as the very best player of all-time.

Mario Balotelli Makes Huge Lionel Messi Claim

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Former Manchester City striker Balotelli is a huge admirer of Messi, whom he’s met as an opponent four times. He said the Argentine operates at a level of unpredictability and speed that “is not normal.”

That said, the former Italy frontman believes another Albiceleste great does rival Messi as the greatest player in history. He told The Late Run:

Diego Maradona is celebrated as a footballing genius who made the beautiful game look easy every time he had the ball at his feet. A charismatic personality, blended with naturally gifted ability, wowed fans throughout his career.

Everything the Argentine icon touched seemed to turn to gold, including his infamous Hand of god goal scored against England at the 1986 World Cup. He captained his country to glory at the tournament, putting in inspired performances and registering five goals and as many assists.

There are similarities between Messi and Maradona, not least their rise to footballing superstardom and their status as heroes in their homeland. They left the opposition dumbfounded by their quick feet and dribbling abilities, something Balotelli touched on when describing the current Argentina skipper:

Maradona thrived as an attacking midfielder for club and country, earning 90 caps for the South Americans, posting 32 goals and 27 assists. His best moments at club level came with Napoli, which named its stadium the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Messi is statistically superior, having broken goalscoring records throughout his career. He is the defending world champions’ all-time top scorer, but Balotelli’s opinion is more focused on the incredible duo’s playing style.

Messi Told He’ll ‘Never be Better than Maradona’

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The GOAT debate is often contested between Messi and longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The younger generation weren’t fortunate enough to watch Maradona and the late great Pele.

Maradona has many supporters who argue that he remains the best player the sport has ever seen. That verdict was given by Argentina’s 1978 World Cup hero Mario Kempes, who claimed back in 2021 that Messi couldn’t displace ‘El Pibe de Oro’:

That is a strong statement given no player in history has won two World Cups in a row, let alone four. Messi is bidding to become the first to deliver back-to-back glory for their nation.

The pressure of competing at the top of Formula One is naturally high and one ‘dejected’ driver reportedly let his emotions get the better of him during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone.

For all 22 drivers of the grid, the role of an F1 driver extends far beyond what happens when they are sat in their cars. From media commitments to dealing with partners and sponsors, there are many demands on drivers’ time during race weekends.

One obligation that drivers must fulfill is to accommodate Netflix cameras for the sport’s flagship documentary series, ‘Drive to Survive’.

However, one driver in particular was in no mood to deal with the production crew following a disappointing performance in qualifying and did something that one observer in the paddock had “never seen happen” before.

F1 Driver ‘Not in Good Spirits’ During British Grand Prix Weekend

Following Saturday’s qualifying session, Mercedes’ George Russell could only manage P4. While many drivers on the grid would have been happy with the position.

However, the Mercedes man was out qualified by not only his teammate and championship rival Kimi Antonelli, but also Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at his home race.

Rosanna Tennant, speaking on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, detailed how a dejected and demoralised George Russell was acting in his press pen following the qualifying session.

Netflix were following him for ‘Drive to Survive’, but as frustration intensified over his performance he asked the camera crew to leave so as not to film his exasperation.

“He felt very dejected in the media pen. He actually asked the Netflix crew to go away. He said, ‘Thank you guys, enough. Thank you.’ I’ve never really seen that. He’s really not in good spirits at all.”

Frustrated F1 Driver Bounced Back Well With His Performance at the British Grand Prix

Credit: REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

Having struggled for straight-line speed throughout the weekend, Russell claimed a hugely valuable second-placed finish at Silverstone. The 28-year-old split the two Ferraris of the victorious Charles Leclerc and third-placed Lewis Hamilton.

Of equal value to Russell as the 18 points that he picked up, though, was the fact that both Antonelli and Max Verstappen failed to complete the race, despite both looking well-placed for a strong finish entering the final stages.

Russell now sits only 25 points behind Antonelli and could be just a couple of races away from taking charge at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, should results go his way.

The season will resume in two weeks time at the Belgian Grand Prix, where Russell might just be in more of a mood to speak to Netflix following his good fortune at Silverstone.

Newcastle United are ready to step up their interest in a number of transfer targets, and they have been told they are at ‘the front of the queue’ for one target.

The Magpies are set for a major rebuild of their squad during the summer transfer window after selling Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £70m, while Sandro Tonali has joined Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth a total of £100m including add-ons.

Eddie Howe has already moved to sign Bazoumana Toure as Gordon’s replacement on the wing, and now the Toon are ready to accelerate their move for a new midfielder.

Newcastle ‘Front of the Queue’ for Manzambi

According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Newcastle United have been told that they are ‘at the front of the queue’ to sign midfielder Johan Manzambi this summer.

Manzambi, who has been described as ‘incredible’, has been one of the breakout stars of this summer’s World Cup while featuring for Switzerland in a midfield role, and Howe has identified him as someone he wants as part of his squad for next season.

Initial talks have been held between the clubs, and while they haven’t progressed as some reports have suggested, there is confidence that a deal can be struck to take the 20-year-old to St James’ Park.

It’s understood that Freiburg’s demands are not a huge hurdle for Newcastle, but there is still some scepticism following the situation with Victor Munoz earlier in the window, where they had a deal agreed only for Liverpool to swoop in and hijack it at the 11th hour.

Man Utd are among the clubs who have a long-standing interest in the player, but the Magpies believe a deal can be completed and are planning to send a formal bid imminently.

Manzambi The Perfect Profile for Newcastle

Howe has made it his trademark to have a team that is high intensity, high energy, and full of players who will run until they drop. The most successful midfield of his career has been combining the strengths of Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes in recent years.

Tonali is now gone, and Joelinton’s form is not what it once was, so adding Manzambi to the team shows great initiative to target a young star ready to explode, but also adds someone who fits the manager’s style immediately.

It’s the type of signing that could convince captain Bruno to stick around amid interest from Arsenal, and could help to accelerate their return to the Champions League.