Xavi Hernandez has named his choice for the all-time greatest footballer after being asked about Diego Maradona ahead of the match between the Blaugrana and Napoli on Thursday night in their Europa League knockout play-off second leg.
The Blaugrana drew 1-1 in the first leg and are now heading to Naples in need of a win to progress at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, with the Stadio San Paolo Stadium having been renamed by Napoli after their legendary star following his demise.
Xavi has been asked ahead of the game for his opinion on whether Maradona was the greatest footballer to ever play the game. For the Barca head coach, there’s no doubt at all that there’s only one man he can call the best, and that’s former scintillating team-mate Lionel Messi.
“It’s my first time here,” he said. “It’s an honor to be here.
“Maradona is one of the best in history. For me, the first is Messi and second is Maradona.
“Many people came to football through him.”
The last time Barca played in Naples was in 2020 when they progressed through a Champions League knock-out clash due to a 4-2 aggregate win with the two sides drawing 1-1 in Naples before Messi illuminated the scoresheet with a 3-1 home win for Barca in the second leg.