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Maradona is Maradona, says Italian legend Baresi

Franco Baresi spent 20 years at AC Milan and built a reputation as a supreme defender. The legendary Milan player made some of the greatest strikers weep with his tough tackles and yet a certain Argentinian's name brought a smile to the face of the 49-year-old Franco Baresi.
"Ahh..Maradona.Argentina..!"
Baresi, it seemed, was struggling to find the right words to describe someone whose individual brilliance made him and countless other defenders tackle his shadow. Remarkably, there was a glint in his eye. It was as if there was joy for him even in defeat. After all, Maradona used to single-handedly beat the giants of Italian football while playing for the modest Napoli in the 1980s.
"Maradona is the best player I have ever played against," Baresi, who is in Dubai to play in the Legend's event of the Emirates Dubai Football Sevens, told Khaleej Times on Friday.
"I played against him in the Italian championship when he was at Napoli. The thing with Maradona was that he was very unpredictable. He was fast and very technical and you never knew what he was going to do.
"Then Romario was another very tough player to play against," added Baresi, who played a staggering 531 matches for Milan.
In the football-obsessed Argentina, many 'New Maradona's (Ariel Ortega, Juan Roman Riquelme, Pablo Aimar, Javier Saviola) emerged. They were all very talented, but they failed to live up to the expectations.
In recent times, Barcelona winger and the current World Footballer of the Year, Lionel Messi, has given his countrymen hope with his mesmerizing skills and breathtaking speed. But Baresi believes the Barcelona winger can never be as good as Maradona.
"Maradona is Maradona. Nobody can ever become like him. Of course, Messi has lots of qualities. But Maradona remains Maradona."
Baresi knows a thing or two about winning trophies. After all, the Italian won six Serie A and three European titles during his glittering career.
And the team of his country, he says, will have a very good chance in the World Cup.
"Results before the World Cup don't matter much," Baresi replied when one reminded him about Italy's inconsistent form in recent times.
"Even if look at the past records of Italy, they have never done well before the World Cup. So I am confident that Italy will do well in the World Cup. We have a very strong team. Yeah we don't have a top team like Brazil or Argentina, you know.
"But, of course, we go there as world champions. This will definitely give the team confidence to do well there."
It is surprising that Baresi still believes in Diego Maradona's Argentina. The South Americans, under their unpredictable coach, had a tough time in the qualifiers.
"Yeah, they struggled in the qualifiers. But at the start of the World Cup, it will be a different story. They have a very strong team, you know.
"Brazil, Argentina, England and Spain are the favourites for the World Cup."
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com