Rodrigo De Paul knows exactly who pays his checks. But when someone handed him a blind ranking exercise for Argentina’s all-time best players, he didn’t cheat.
De Paul, who has played alongside Lionel Messi for eight years with the national team and now at Inter Miami, was asked to rank Argentina’s top five legends without knowing which names were coming next. He left the No. 1 spot open until the final name dropped. Then he did what any sane teammate would do.
He put Sergio Aguero fourth. Angel Di Maria third. Diego Maradona second. And when he heard Messi’s name last, he slid him into first place. Javier Mascherano rounded out the list at No. 5.
The whole thing was posted by a fan account and honestly? It’s hard to argue with.
Why This List Actually Works
The Messi vs. Maradona debate has been settled for most people since December 2022. Messi’s World Cup win, combined with the sheer length of his career, gives him the edge even if Maradona’s peak was flashier. Nobody’s mad about those two being 1 and 2.
After that it gets tricky. Aguero had 101 caps and 41 goals for Argentina, plus 385 professional goals total. Di Maria put up 145 caps and 31 goals with 211 career tallies. And Mascherano? He’s a defensive midfielder who somehow racked up 147 appearances for Argentina, second only to Messi himself.
For what it’s worth, I’d probably flip Aguero and Di Maria and push Mascherano ahead of both. But De Paul was working blind and he nailed the hardest part — getting the top two right.
The man knows his teammate. He knows his history. And he knows exactly where to put the GOAT.
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