Batistuta Says Maradona “Died Like A Dog”, Fears Similar Fate For Messi

Former Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta has assessed the life and death of Diego Maradona, claiming the late icon “died like a dog”, warning that football must do more to protect its greatest stars.

Speaking in an interview with Rio Ferdinand, Batistuta said Maradona’s family saw his talent as a route out of poverty and failed to properly protect him during his early rise to fame.

“His problem was that Maradona was already famous when he was six years old. His family wasn’t wealthy and they saw in him a way to escape from that situation,” Batistuta said.

“And I don’t blame anybody. Nobody said no to him when he was young. Everything was okay. That was a big mistake.

“It’s a shame because he was a great person, and he died alone. Nobody was with him. He died like a dog. We didn’t do much for him. And that is something that I don’t like to think about, because I blame myself too, because I was one of his supporters.

“I hope it doesn’t happen to Messi. Because when they are there [at the top], you don’t see that they have problems. You think they are okay. They have everything. They don’t cry.”

Naija News reports that Maradona died of cardiac arrest at his home in November 2020.

In the same interview, Batistuta also weighed in on the long-running debate between Maradona and Lionel Messi over who stands as Argentina’s greatest footballer.

The former striker, who played alongside Maradona for the national team, said the pair should not be judged by identical standards but ultimately sided with the late legend.

“They are different. Because Messi scored 1,000 goals, Maradona scored 200. Messi is a quiet boy, Maradona wasn’t,” he said.

“Maradona was and is the top because he could play, he could manage the referee, the opponent. He was able to do unbelievable things.”