Antonio Cassano has claimed that Lionel Messi is better than Diego Maradona because he has been doing “the same things for 15 years”.

Messi ended Argentina’s long-running wait for the ‘new Maradona’, not looking back since his breakthrough 2004-05 campaign, and Cassano believes his sheer consistency makes him superior to the Napoli icon.

“Maradona did something never seen before for 4-5 years, but Messi has been doing the same things for 15 years,” the former Italy attacker told Corriere dello Sport.

“He’s scored 710 goals and made 300 assists. When he plays, his team are already 1-0 up.

“The Maradona fans must get over it. There’s someone who ousted him.”