Kempes calls for constant comparisons between Messi, Maradona to stop
Mario Kempes, Argentina's hero at the 1978 World Cup, believes there is one God, and it's neither Lionel Messi nor Diego Maradona.
In conversation with El Universo, Kempes, who often speaks about the state of Argentinian football, said it's "ridiculous" to criticise Messi for having yet to win the World Cup and called for the comparisons with Maradona to end.
"Maradona is Maradona, that's indisputable, but he doesn't play anymore," Kempes said, according to ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden. "He stopped playing a long time ago. Messi (still) runs and delights us. You can't compare the two because they played in different eras, in different teams, and with different teammates.
"We have to stop this. They say Maradona is God, but there's only one God (points to the sky)!"
Kempes also suggested that, unlike Messi at the 2014 World Cup, Maradona had luck on his side when Argentina conquered Mexico in 1986.
"When Diego won the World Cup in 1986, perhaps he had the luck that Messi has not had," Kempes said. "Diego had very good teammates and things went well. Messi has good teammates, too, but what happened is that Diego, with the Hand of God, went to the final - and with the kick which the English players didn't give him when he went past a number of them and scored that goal.
"So luck was on his side, too. They say that Messi lacks a World Cup? No! Why? (Alfredo) Di Stefano did not win a World Cup, neither did a lot of other players. It's stupid."
Kempes was Argentina's top scorer when La Albiceleste won the 1978 World Cup on home soil, tallying six goals, including two in the final, which saw the national team defeat the Netherlands 3-1 in extra time. Controversy continues to surround the tournament, however.
To reach the final, Argentina needed at least a four-goal margin against Peru. La Albiceleste then won 6-0, leading to talk of collusion. Genaro Ledesma, a Peruvian politician who was a prisoner of his country's military government at the time of the 1978 World Cup, added fuel to the fire in 2012 by claiming that Argentina's military dictatorship had agreed to take custody of him and other dissidents in exchange for Peru throwing the fixture.