Messi is better than Maradona, says Ramos

Kazan: Spain captain Sergio Ramos has responded to a putdown from Argentina great Diego Maradona by making an unlikely declaration of admiration for Lionel Messi, his usual enemy as the talisman of Real Madrid’s archrivals Barcelona. Maradona, his country’s 1986 World Cup-winning captain, remarked this week that “Ramos is no superstar, the real superstar defender is Diego Godin” when comparing Spain’s serial-winner Ramos with the Uruguay captain. Ramos was asked what he made of Maradona’s comments, and he chose to praise Messi, who has led Barcelona to numerous wins over Real Madrid and had plenty of full-blooded clashes with the Spaniard. “I respect Maradona because he is an all-time great, I think he was a star, but I’ll also tell you that Argentine football knows Maradona is light years behind their number one player, which is Messi,” Ramos said.

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Alli sits out training ahead of Panama clash

St Petersburg: England midfielder Dele Alli missed training on Thursday as doubts grow about whether he will be fit to face Panama. Alli picked up a thigh strain during the opening win against Tunisia and is likely to be rested on Sunday. — Agencies