Maradona better than Messi – Suker

Davor, it is exactly 15 years ago that you starred at the  World Cup in France. Do you think about that tournament on a daily basis or is it already a distant memory?
It might seem distant time-wise, but it’s certainly not that way in my mind or in the memories of Croatian football fans. We made history by finishing third, which is an incredible feat for a country of four million people which had only recently been through war in the Balkans. We’re very proud to have been part of that team. And I’m proud on an individual note too, as I achieved every footballer’s dream of playing at a World Cup and finishing top scorer.

Turning to the modern game, and given the goalscoring feats of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, can strikers still be prolific without being quick?
First and foremost, it has to be said that Messi and Cristiano are out of this world – they’re so far ahead of the pack. They can be compared with the likes of Pele, Maradona, (Johan) Cruyff, (Franz) Beckenbauer – this era belongs to them. As for the others, speed is part of the game but you also need talent, control, footballing intelligence and effectiveness in front of goal. If you don’t have those, you’ll struggle to score.

Is there a striker like you in football nowadays?
I think the one that’s most like me is Karim Benzema, who’s got a real talent for keeping the ball under control. Yes, I’d say he’s the most similar.

You played for clubs in Germany and Spain, two countries that are currently on a high in footballing terms. Could you see this trend emerging even back then?
Yes, absolutely. Germany always invest for the future, which is something we should all learn from them. And as far as Spain are concerned, when I arrived in the ‘90s they’d started investing in everything: football, basketball, handball, even water polo! The thing is, it’s hard to get results on a short-term basis, as you need ten or 15 years to get results, and who wants to wait so long nowadays? But that’s the key to success.

Diego Maradona is a friend of yours, you were teammates at Sevilla and you even played in his farewell match. As you know him so well, do you think comparisons with Messi are reasonable?
It’s difficult, as the game changes so much every decade. You remember Pele, Maradona, but how do you compare them? Back then you’d have a couple of cameras filming matches, whereas now you’ll have 24 recording the warm-up! Even so, I think Maradona is better. Messi’s time will come though: he’ll score loads of goals, break even more records, but he needs to win something with Argentina. He’s very young and his time will come – I wish him all the best.

Can you tell us any anecdotes about your time alongside Maradona?
When I was at Sevilla with him, Carlos Bilardo and Diego Simeone, there’d generally be between 3,000 and 5,000 people watching us train. I remember one morning Diego arriving late and in trademark fashion: behind the wheel of a Ferrari. Immediately, all the people watching us disappeared and ran off to mob him in the car park. That shows how popular he was. And there’s another story I like to tell. When I was a kid I used to watch Diego on TV in my room. But suddenly I found myself having breakfast with him, training with him and sharing a dressing room – it was incredible. I just waited for him to speak to me, to say something, and finally one day he called me over. He just said, ‘Davor, I don’t want you looking out wide or anything. Just get your head down and run towards goal and I’ll put the ball in front of you, ready for you to knock it in.’ There aren’t many players in the world who can say something like that, but he was one of them. And if you watch the goals he set up for me with Sevilla, that’s what happened. It’s something that will stay with me forever.

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Posted: at 1-07-2013 02:38 PM (10 years ago) | Newbie

Yes  that's right that they are all good in their own time, but what I can say is that Messi is a real man, he is polite to and don't use drug too (as I know) lol

Posted: at 2-07-2013 12:40 PM (10 years ago) | Newbie