Maradonians have to accept that Lionel Messi is the greatest, exclaims Antonio Cassano

If football is a religion, which it very well is considered to be, then Lionel Messi is whom the fans have proclaimed to be their God. There are a fair share of believers who endorse this idea but many also believe that the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele and Garrincha deserve a fair call. There are those who believe that Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Narazio and many others also should be a part of the list.

However, former Real Madrid and Roma star Antonio Cassano went on to admit, in an interview, that there are few better than Barcelona's Lionel Messi with the Argentine even surpassing Diego Maradona. Messi has shouldered his country in a very similar manner that the former great Diego Maradona did but Cassano also added that while Maradona was great, what Messi has done over the last few decades is even greater.

"Maradona did something never seen before for four or five years, but Messi has done the same things for 15 years. He has scored 710 goals and 300 assists. When he plays you start with a 1-0 lead. The 'Maradonians' have to accept it: there is someone who has ousted him," Cassano told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.

Playing for the Catalans since signing for them as a child, Messi has collected trophies in abundance, with his cabinet overflowing with ten La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles.  That also includes his six Ballon d’Ors with only a World Cup missing from the cupboard. But Cassano heaped more praise on the Barcelona faithful claiming that he has even taken over the likes of Ronaldo Nazario.

“If we were trailing at halftime and the coach would want to replace Ronaldo with Ruud van Nistelrooy, he’d ask for 15 minutes more on the pitch. Believe it or not, 15 minutes later we were 2-1 in the lead. I said that if there is a football God, it is Ronaldo. Then I discovered that Messi is above him," he added.