Messi evokes Maradona comparisons on road to World Cup final
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi has gone into full-on Diego Maradona mode at the World Cup. He has carried Argentina’s class of 2022 into the World Cup final in the same way Maradona led the team to the title in 1986. There have always been echoes of Maradona in Messi because of his size, his dribbling skills, his quick feet and his wand of a left foot. Add in the leadership and fighting qualities he has shown throughout the tournament and it really does feel like Messi is imbued with the spirit of Maradona as he closes in on soccer’s ultimate prize.