Brehme: Messi superior to Maradona

Former Germany defender Andreas Brehme says Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi is a better player than Diego Maradona was.

Messi, 24, has been in near superhuman form for Barca so far in 2011/12, and is already widely considered to be one of the best footballers in history.

Brehme labelled Messi a phenomenon and is particularly impressed with his intelligence on the pitch.

“I would not have been able to stop him. He’s a phenomenon. He thoroughly impressed me in the Champions League final against Manchester United. He was too much for (Nemanja) Vidic and (Rio) Ferdinand,” Brehme told El Pais.

“He is better than Maradona in my opinion. He is 23 (sic) and has already won everything. He has much more brains. That’s something that Maradona lacked.”

Defending champions Barca will meet Chelsea in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League on April 18 and 24.