Sport News:Messi and I think quicker: Maradona

Diego Maradona believes there is one trait that sets himself and
Lionel Messi apart from the rest when it comes to discussing the best
players of all time - speed of thought.

For many years Maradona was one half of the great debate as to who was
the best ever player - him or Brazilian Pele.

But with Messi's recent record-breaking exploits, many consider him to
be a legitimate contender for that theoretic title.

And while Maradona has never been shy in publicising his own claims
over Pele's, he is less willing to blow his own trumpet when compared
to his Argentine compatriot.

"The (best player) lists make me laugh but there is one ability, most
of all one, that no one has ever had like Leo and myself: speed of
thought," Maradona told Saturday's Gazzetta dello Sport.

"When I coached him the thing I saw in him that reminded me of myself
was the lightning understanding of how the move would develop."

"It's an innate quality worthy of a computer. Had we been able to
communicate with someone who thought at the same speed we could have
both given even more."

Looking just at today's players, Maradona says Messi is in a league of
his own but he has a surprise in his top three.

"My rankings would be Messi, (Cristiano) Ronaldo and then Ibra (Zlatan
Ibrahimovic) and (Wayne) Rooney together and (Sergio) Kun Aguero is in
the top 10 but he's rising."

Maradona also turned his attention to his problems with the Italian
taxman, repeating his often stated claim that he does not owe the 38
million euros being claimed.

And Maradona insists he's been treated unfairly.