Cafu: Messi is a benchmark for argentine football and the embodiment of football artistry

This week, Cafu was interviewed by the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo". Due to its length, we have divided it into four parts. In the third part, he discussed his views on Messi and others.

What do you think of the Argentina national team? Because from 1986 to 2022, they hadn't won the FIFA World Cup for 36 years, but now they keep winning.

Brazil experienced such an era between 1994 and 2002. Now, Argentina is going through a similar era, thanks to a great player named Messi, because Argentina truly made up its mind and realized that they had to fight for Messi.

Messi is a role model for everyone. He has been named the world's best player six times and is a benchmark for Argentine football. However, they previously did not fully utilize this player's talent. He is a player who dares to take responsibility and controls the team's offense.

I have always told everyone: when the Argentina national team decides to fight for Messi, Argentina will become a force to be reckoned with, and that's exactly what happened; for many years, they have been a force to be reckoned with.

Do you think Messi has a chance to win in the United States?

You are now talking to someone who played until he was 38 and participated in the FIFA World Cup at 36, so, yes, he has a chance, a very good chance. It depends on him. If he is healthy, clear-minded, and highly motivated, I believe he will greatly benefit the Argentina team.

Messi, Maradona, Pelé... What more can you say about these three football superstars?

These players made history and left a rich and colorful mark. They are all FIFA World Cup champions. They played effortlessly, dribbling, shooting, and scoring with ease. Watching them play was a pure joy. I love the art of football.

Maradona is the embodiment of football art, as are Messi, Pelé, and Ronaldinho. So, when I see those unique and brilliant players, I really enjoy it.

Would you put Ronaldinho on the same level as Maradona, Pelé, and Messi?

I would.

But weren't there only 3 superstars? Now it seems like there are 4?

There are 4 in total. In my opinion, these four players are on par and are the four greatest players in history, two Brazilians and two Argentinians. In my opinion, in the era when I watched games, these four players truly changed the sport and are still changing it today.

Older generations might say Di Stéfano.

Yes, but I haven't watched Di Stéfano play much. You might say, "But you didn't get to watch Pelé play either," but he is Pelé. There are also Cruyff, Di Stéfano, Platini, Beckenbauer in football.

We have had these players, but I'm talking about my generation and generations beyond. I mean, my generation has Messi and Ronaldinho. For the previous generation, I would choose Maradona and Pelé. If ranked this way, I would put Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldinho, and Messi together.

What do these excellent players have in common?

It's about personality, not just football, but personality, their way of playing, their attitude when they step onto the field. We have never seen Messi, Ronaldinho, Pelé, or Maradona fight on the field.

What we see is them playing, getting fouled, but standing up again, laughing, and giving their all. How do they humiliate opponents? By dribbling past them, scoring goals, that's what we love to see.