World Cup 2018: Sergio Ramos hits back at Diego Maradona by blasting ‘everyone knows Messi is better than you’
Maradona had claimed Diego Godin was better than Ramos, drawing a brutal response from the Spain captain
SERGIO RAMOS has slammed Diego Maradona after the Argentina legend said Diego Godin was the better centre-back this week.
Responding in a similar fashion, Ramos claimed that Maradona was 'light years' away from current Argentine hero Lionel Messi, and is nowhere close to being his country's best-ever player.
The Spain captain had been the subject of an attack from Maradona, who said Atletico and Uruguay defender Godin was a far superior player.
But the Real Madrid man did not take kindly to the comment, saying: "In Argentina they know that Maradona is light years away from the best Argentine player in history, which for me is Lionel Messi."
Ramos helped his country to their first win at World Cup 2018 on Wednesday, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Iran.
Meanwhile, Argentina were far below their best against a dogged Iceland side, unable to break down the World Cup debutants with Barcelona man Messi missing a second-half penalty in a 1-1 draw.
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By virtue of a technicality, Spain now top Group B, with an identical record to Iberian rivals Portugal but having picked up fewer bookings.
Fair play could prove crucial for Ramos, the all-time record holder in La Liga with 19 red cards, as it will be used as a tiebreaker in the event of the two sides' records remaining the same after the final round of group games.
Should the two sides both draw, win or lose by the same score in their third games, the side with the better disciplinary record will finish higher.
This will be particularly important if both sides were to lose, as Iran would then top the group and the tiebreaker would decide who progressed with them in second place, with drawing lots the next step if still locked at a stalemate.