Roberto Baggio chooses Messi over Maradona & Pele as GOAT; Marco Materazzi disagrees

The “Greatest of All Time” (GOAT) debate is a staple of football culture, but when legends of the game weigh in, the world listens.

At a star-studded panel in Milan featuring legendary figures like Gabriel Batistuta, Romario, and Ronaldo Nazário, Italian football icons Roberto Baggio and Marco Materazzi shared vastly different perspectives on who stands alone at the top of football history.

While Baggio gave the nod to Lionel Messi over Diego Maradona and Pele, former Inter Milan defender Materazzi bypassed all three to crown a different legendary teammate.

Roberto Baggio: “Messi, for What He’s Been Doing for 20 Years”

When asked to separate the mythical trio of Lionel Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona, the 1993 Ballon d’Or winner and Italy icon Baggio admitted that ranking such players felt almost sacrilegious to the sport.

“It’s very hard; it’s even ugly to rank them, as we are talking about the absolute essence of football. These three have been above the others. As of today, I’d say Messi for what he’s been doing for 20 years, in terms of quality and quantity. If I have to pick one, I’ll say his name, but we are talking about three incredible players.”

For Baggio, the deciding factor was not just Messi’s unmatched peak, but his two decades of uninterrupted dominance at the absolute highest level. This sentiment is highly personal for Baggio, who shared a warm moment with Messi just days prior on July 12, 2026, when Messi gifted him his match-worn Argentina shirt following Argentina’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Switzerland.

Marco Materazzi: “The Real Ronaldo Was a Martian”

Seated at the same table as the Brazilian legend himself, 2006 World Cup winner Marco Materazzi took a different, passionate route. He apologized to Pele, Maradona, and Messi, choosing Ronaldo Nazário “O Fenômeno” as his ultimate GOAT.

Materazzi focused on the sheer, terrifying physical and technical peak of the Brazilian striker before his devastating knee injuries:

“I always say this, for me, it’s him [Ronaldo]. Because what he did without two knees, going 150 km/h, nobody has done it… when I watch YouTube, and I see what he used to do, at a time when defenders hit hard, you feel he was a Martian. Sorry, Diego, Pele and Messi. To me, it was him, the Phenomenon. The Real Ronaldo—but respect to Cristiano.”

The Verdict: Longevity vs. Peak Performance

The debate really comes down to two different ways of defining greatness.

For Roberto Baggio, the pick is Lionel Messi 🇦🇷. His core argument is longevity and consistency — staying at the absolute pinnacle of world football for over 20 years, with both the quality and the sheer volume of output to match.

Marco Materazzi, on the other hand, chooses Ronaldo Nazário 🇧🇷. His case is all about unstoppable peak performance — reaching a terrifying level of speed, power, and skill that changed the striker position forever, even while playing with no cartilage in his knees.