On This Day: Messi’s Maradona Wonder Goal

On this day in 2007, Lionel Messi scored what might be his greatest ever goal.

At just 19 years of age, the Argentine prodigy was being tipped to be one of the greatest players in the world and more so, hos agility, size, left foot and dribbling ability, had him touted as ’the next Maradona.’

It's easy to forget Messi was only 19 when he did this…👶👽#OnThisDay in 2007 pic.twitter.com/PHWmqTZU0m

— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) April 18, 2019

Such comparisons are usually trivial, but when Lionel Messi picked the ball up inside his own half Getafe and began to run at his opposition, dancing in and out of defenders, the likeness to the legendary Maradona suddenly became very real. Recreating maybe Maradona’s (second) most famous goal, after the Hand of God from the same game, Messi ran with the ball like Diego has against England in the 1986 World Cup semi-final.

Beating players with the same effortless pace, one by one, until eventually he feints the goalkeeper and applies the finish. It was a historic moment in the career of Lionel Messi and, 12 years on, he still seems capable of such feats.