Sir Alex Ferguson has officially settled the Lionel Messi vs Diego Maradona debate

Argentina’s dream of back-to-back World Cup titles came to an end as Spain beat Lionel Messi’s team 1-0 in New Jersey to become world champions.

It brought down the curtain – possibly for good – on Messi’s incredible international career, and although the result didn’t go Argentina’s way, the 39-year-old still leaves the tournament with his legacy cemented.

Messi finished the 2026 campaign with 8 goals and 4 assists, second only to Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot and just behind the tournament’s assists, although it was quiet in the final itself.

It extends his all-time World Cup record to 21 goals and 12 assists in six tournaments – a total of 33 goals that no player in the tournament’s history has come close to matching.

That kind of longevity will fuel the debate over where Messi ranks among the greatest legends of all time, a debate that will continue for decades regardless of Sunday’s result.

Others will still point to Pele’s three World Cup victories. Some would argue that Diego Maradona’s highest score exceeds anything they have ever seen, while Steven Gerrard even claimed that Ronaldinho was a stronger rival than both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out the Messi vs Maradona debate

But we already know where Sir Alex Ferguson stands on the Messi vs Maradona question.

The debate resurfaced in 2019, following the death of respected Scottish football writer Hugh McIlvanney, when it emerged that he and Graeme Souness had repeatedly clashed over the same question.

According to an article written by Jonathan Northcroft of The Times after McIlvanney’s death, the veteran journalist was adamant that Maradona was the better of the two, while Souness pushed hard in favor of Messi.

When word of the standoff reached Ferguson, he backed Souness’s position over McIlvanney, explaining that Maradona’s career at the top was only a few years long – a nod to Messi’s incredible staying power compared to the short amount enjoyed by his Argentine predecessor.

Given that Messi has already won a World Cup, two Copa Americas and increased his numbers by the age of 39, it is hard to imagine that Ferguson’s decision has changed since then.

Whether it’s Maradona’s genius in 1986 or Messi’s continued excellence spanning two decades and six World Cups, the debate comes down to what each fan means most to a player.

Ferguson’s answer rests firmly on longevity and consistency at the top – traits Messi has continued to display as he approaches his thirties, culminating in his final appearance on Sunday on sport’s biggest stage.

Maradona’s brilliance, by contrast, is often remembered in light: one tournament, a few unforgettable moments, rather than years of accumulated dominance.

Both arguments have merit, and neither side is likely to convince the other anytime soon. But with Messi’s career now nearly complete at international level, the numbers he’s leaving behind make his case as tough as ever.

Three international titles, an all-time World Cup goalscoring record and a body of work from a teenager to a 39-year-old still inspires a cup final two decades later.

It’s an argument Maradona, or anyone else for that matter, can’t match.