Two of the most outspoken football figures in history have entered a war of words...and there seems to be no holding back by any of them in the near future.
Speaking in an interview with Espacio Esportivo, Alves criticized Maradona's legacy, since the Brazilian feels "El Pelusa" can't be named as a role model after his "Hand of God" incident.
"With all due respect for Maradona, I wouldn't be proud to walk around saying I'm a World Cup winner after scoring a goal with my hand. Everyone talks about the Hand of God, but honestly, he made a fool out of everybody. As a professional sports player, I wouldn't consider him as a role model for little kids," Alves stated.
The former Barcelona right back didn't stop there, as he questioned those who believe Messi is not as good as Maradona just because he hasn't won a tite with Argentina.
"People talk about Maradona, and I can't talk about someone I didn't watch playing. I played with Messi and I know he's gifted. It's insane to say he's not one of the best just because he hasn't won the World Cup. If that's the case, then answer this: how many Ballon D'Or trophies did he win?"Alves added.
But if you expected Maradona to keep his mouth shut, you were wrong. The Argentinean legend fought back and had his fair share of insults for Alves in a heated interview.
"He's an idiot. Out of every 28 crosses he sends, four of them are accurate. When you had right backs as Cafu or Maicon...poor little fellow. This kid feels he can talk about things when he plays in a spot where there's no football played. I'm not going to keep talking about this moron, he knows nothing about playing football," Maradona replied.
