Dirty TackleJose Mourinho is now taking lines from Maradona in greatest player debate
As the endless bickering over who truly is the best footballer in the world continues among people who should have more better things to discuss, we have finally reached the point where clever retorts are being repeated.
Back in April, Maradona responded to Pele's assertion that Neymar is the best player in the world by saying this:
"My God, that is just stupid. Maybe Neymar is the best player in the world, but only if you say that Messi is from a different planet."
It was a fun reply to silly statement and one that Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho must have enjoyed because now he is using a very similar line to hold up Cristiano Ronaldo as better than Messi. From the Guardian:
"When someone with the same responsibility as me comes out and says: 'Mine is the best on the planet' then I have to say: 'Mine was not born in Madeira, he was born on Mars; he is not from planet Earth, he is the best in the universe'," Mourinho told the Portuguese daily A Bola in an interview. "If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe."
At the very least it's a disappointing lack of originality, especially from a man who thinks he should be called "The Only One," and at worst it's a sign that Maradona and Mourinho are slowly morphing into the same person and will inevitably form "Mega Marainho" -- an unstoppable force that will one day rule football and ultimately destroy itself over an internal squabble as to whether Messi or Cristiano is the best.
During the 2010 World Cup, Maradona said, "I like Mourinho a lot. I've got his phone number, I might call him. We spent hours talking about football, attacking and defensive tactics. He seemed to me a guy to take to your bedside table and ask him each time you need something." So they have been close for some time now. You have been warned.
