Lionel Messi will go down as the greatest player in football history - better even than Diego Maradona and Pele - according to Ossie Ardiles.

The former Argentina midfielder claims Messi is similar to their fellow countryman Maradona - except better.

Ardiles, who starred for Tottenham Hotspur during an admirable playing career and helped nurture Maradona in the national side, said: "I think there is only one player you can compare with Messi and that is Maradona, and in many ways they are very similar.

For some time I thought that Diego could never be surpassed, and nor could Pele, but no longer. I would now say that Lionel Messi will go down in history as the number one player of all time.
Ossie Ardiles

"For some time I thought that Diego could never be surpassed, and nor could Pele, but no longer. I would now say that Lionel Messi will go down in history as the number one player of all time, the best that there ever was.

"The big difference is that Maradona played in Argentina, then in Italy, while Pele stayed in Brazil, and during their time the pressures were less intense than they are now.

"Messi is under pressure all the time, and has to play in incredibly high-intensity games all of the time, the Champions League being the perfect example."