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Lionel Messi will walk onto the pitch at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday with the weight of history behind him. Winning the World Cup once is an incredible feat, but leading a nation to consecutive triumphs would be truly extraordinary.

Messi has long been seen as the natural heir to Diego Maradona, Argentina’s former World Cup-winning captain, who is still celebrated by many as the greatest footballer ever. That debate grows more complex each time Messi reaches new milestones in his career.

Maradona remains one of football’s most iconic figures, adored by countless fans not only for his brilliance on the field but also for his very human flaws. He passed away in 2020, just two years before Messi finally lifted the World Cup trophy himself.

While Messi may not share Maradona’s fiery personality, Al-Ittifaq striker Mario Balotelli certainly had a touch of that same rebellious energy. The Italian forward first made a name for himself at Inter Milan before becoming a household name during a remarkable spell in England with Manchester City.

During his time at City, Balotelli won both the Premier League and the FA Cup. He made 31 appearances alongside Messi’s Argentina teammate, and Maradona’s former son-in-law, Sergio Agüero. In fact, Balotelli famously assisted Agüero’s dramatic last-minute goal that secured City’s 2012 Premier League title.

“I met him through Agüero during his time at City,” said the former Italy international while speaking to AwayDays host Ellis Platten at the Classic Football Shirts store in New York. “It was funny because I told Sergio, ‘Give me Maradona’s number so I can talk to him.’”

“Sergio gave me the number, and the first thing I did was send him a picture of me with a Cuban cigar. He replied with a photo of himself holding a Cuban too,” Balotelli added with a grin.

Maradona, ranked third in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest players of all time, guided Argentina to World Cup glory in Mexico in 1986 and won two Serie A titles with Napoli during his unforgettable spell in Italy.

Known as ‘El Pibe de Oro,’ Maradona starred for Napoli between stints in Spain with Barcelona and Sevilla. His playing career ended at Boca Juniors, the club where he began in the early 1980s. He bid farewell to international football in disgrace after failing a drug test at the 1994 World Cup.

“Maradona is Maradona,” Balotelli reflected, noting that he was born in Sicily just months after Napoli captured their second Scudetto in 1990.

Balotelli’s career has seen him travel across Europe, featuring for Liverpool and Nice, as well as several Italian clubs including AC Milan, Brescia, Monza and Genoa. He also had a brief spell at Sion in Switzerland, sandwiched between two stints at Turkish side Adana Demirspor.

Now 35, the Italian forward plays for Al-Ittifaq in the United Arab Emirates, having joined the club in January. Under the management of former Juventus defender Paolo Montero until June, Balotelli has been averaging a goal every two league matches.