Messi not as good as Di Stefano - Canario

He may be considered by the best of all time by some, but Lionel Messi must mature a lot if he wants to be considered in the same breathe as Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano, according to Canario.

With five Ballon d'Or trophies, four Champions League crowns and eight LaLiga titles among others, Barcelona's all-time leading goalscorer Messi is viewed as arguably the greatest player to grace a football field.

However, former Madrid and Brazil forward Canario does not believe the 29-year-old Argentina captain is at the same level as legendary countryman Di Stefano, who won five successive European Cups during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu between 1950 and 1960.

"Di Stefano was a scorer, he defended, he attacked... You won't find such a complete player among the young ones," the 82-year-old told EFE.

"Messi is a great footballer, but he needs to mature a lot if he wants to be like Di Stefano.

"Messi plays in a few metre area only. Di Stefano played up and down, he ran, he fought... Messi just doesn't do that."

Messi, who lost his Ballon d'Or title to Madrid rival Ronaldo on Monday, tops the LaLiga goalscoring charts with 11 after 15 games.