Diego Maradona has branded Dani Alves an “idiot” after the full-back criticised his infamous Hand of God goal.
The Argentine’s blatant handball helped his nation past England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals as they went on to lift the trophy, with Alves claiming the 56-year-old could not be considered a role model.
“You want to compare Messi to Maradona? You can’t compare them,” Alves told Brazilian channel Canais Esporte Interativo.
“I would not be proud to say that I won a World Cup with a Hand of God. I wouldn’t be able to tell my son that I won a World Cup like this with the whole world talking about it.
“The Hand of God tricked us, you have to take this firm position. A sportsman like this can’t be an example for youngsters.”
However, Maradona hit back by roasting the full-back’s passing ability.
“Dani Alves is an idiot. He makes 28 passes and only gets four right. As a ‘4’ [right-back], Cafu and Maicon were good. Dani Alves? Poor thing,” he told TyC Sports.
“He speaks because he plays in a position on the pitch where football is not played. They [right-backs] touch the ball three times and make eight fouls per game.”
Maradona is generally regarded as one of the greatest footballers to play the game, and scored a brilliant goal soon after the Hand of God, dribbling past five England players as Argentina won on their way to lifting the World Cup.
