Maradona and Messi have Argentina fans in raptures

BUENOS AIRES, JUNE 23: Argentinian football fans filling the bars in Buenos Aires on Monday were able to celebrate iconic World Cup moments by two vastly different characters -- Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.

For the late tortured genius that was Maradona it was the 40th anniversary of his 'Hand of God' goal in the 1986 quarter-final with England, on his way to almost single-handedly winning the trophy for Argentina.

For the clean-cut Messi it was another record -- his double against Austria at the 2026 tournament on Monday that made him the all-time World Cup goal scorer with 18.

Maradona, despite his excesses off the pitch and his failed doping test in the 1994 World Cup, remains a hero to many.

It's fair to say controversy and Messi are not often mentioned in the same breath reverence for him is confined to his successes on the pitch.    �"AFP