Di Stefano is a better footballer than Messi, says Canario
Former Brazil forward Canario believes that Lionel Messi must mature a lot if he wants to be considered in the same breath as former Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano. Canario has praised Di Stefano saying he was an all-rounder and a complete player of his generation.
Arguably the greatest player of the modern era, Argentina-skipper Lionel Messi has shattered records at will. A livewire on the field, Messi has won five Ballon d'Or trophies, four Champions League crowns and eight La Liga titles in his career.Â
But, former Madrid and Brazil forward Darcy Silveira dos Santos, popularly known as Canario does not believe that Messi is at the same level as legendary Di Stefano, who won five successive European Cups during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu between 1950 and 1960.Â
The 82-year old said to EFE, "Di Stefano was a scorer, he defended, he attacked... You won't find such a complete player among the young ones.
"Messi is a great footballer, but he needs to mature a lot if he wants to be like Di Stefano.
"Messi plays in a few metre area only. Di Stefano played up and down, he ran, he fought... Messi just doesn't do that."
Messi is the highest goal-scorer in Barcelona history but hasn’t won a world cup for his country.Â
Di Stefano, who died in 2014, scored 216 league goals in 262 games for Real Madrid (then a club record, since surpassed by Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo), and made a fearsome partnership with Ferenc Puskás. Di Stéfano's 49 goals in 58 matches was a record for an all-time highest tally in the European Cup for decades.