Diego Maradona vs Youri Djorkaeff: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Attacking Midfielder, France (born 1968, retired 2006)
When Diego Maradona and Youri Djorkaeff are mentioned in the same breath, opinions rarely stay quiet. Long after the final whistle, what lingers is influence, and each man reshaped his corner of the game. The raw numbers read 293 goals in 582 outings for Diego Maradona (0.50/game), versus 200 in 600 for Youri Djorkaeff (0.33/game). Modern assist data only covers part of their careers, so creativity is hard to compare cleanly — Diego Maradona is listed at 0 and Youri Djorkaeff at 90 where figures survive. Trophy counts give Diego Maradona 6 and Youri Djorkaeff 3, with 1× FIFA World Cup (1986) and 1× FIFA World Cup (1998) the standout honours respectively. History will file Diego Maradona under explosive greatness and Youri Djorkaeff under dictatorial greatness — different shelves, same temple. Context beyond the headline totals is important: Diego Maradona's landmark level arrived around 1986 with a career spanning Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys; Youri Djorkaeff's came around 1998 across Grenoble, Strasbourg, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Kaiserslautern, Bolton Wanderers, New York MetroStars. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
189 words · comparison angle: legacy
Player profiles
Argentine legend who almost single-handedly led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup and transformed Napoli into Italian and European contenders.
“A low-centre-of-gravity left-footed genius whose dribbling and playmaking carried teams single-handedly.”
A stylish, powerful-shooting French playmaker, Djorkaeff scored crucial goals throughout France's 1998 World Cup triumph and starred for club sides across three countries.
“A creative attacking midfielder blessed with an unusually powerful shot and clever vision in tight areas.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (1986)
- 1× UEFA Cup (1989)
- 2× Serie A (1987, 1990)
- 1× Copa Italia (1987)
- 1× Argentine Primera División (1981)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (1998)
- 1× UEFA European Championship (2000)
- 1× UEFA Cup (1998)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1976 Argentinos Juniors debut ten days before his 16th birthday
- 1981 Joined Boca Juniors and won the Argentine league
- 1982 World-record transfer to Barcelona
- 1984 Signed for Napoli for another world-record fee
- 1987 Led Napoli to their first ever Serie A title
- 1990 Captained Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final
- 1997 Played his final professional matches at Boca Juniors
- 1986 Professional debut for Grenoble
- 1998 Won FIFA World Cup with Inter Milan
- 1998 Won UEFA Cup with Inter Milan
- 1998 Reached the peak of his powers at Inter Milan
- 2006 Retired after a final spell at New York MetroStars
- Finished his career with 200 goals in 600 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 200 goals in 600 appearances and 3 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Diego Maradona wins out by a decisive margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Diego Maradona edges it (a decisive margin)
