Diego Maradona vs Mesut Özil: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Attacking Midfielder, Germany (born 1988, retired 2023)
Comparing Diego Maradona with Mesut Özil means weighing two very different kinds of greatness. Legacy is the only real measure that outlives the numbers, and both have staked towering claims. The raw numbers read 293 goals in 582 outings for Diego Maradona (0.50/game), versus 114 in 645 for Mesut Özil (0.18/game). Because assists were not systematically tracked for much of their time, that side of the comparison rests on the footage that survives. Trophy counts give Diego Maradona 6 and Mesut Özil 8, with 1× FIFA World Cup (1986) and 1× FIFA World Cup (2014) the standout honours respectively. History will file Diego Maradona under clinical greatness and Mesut Özil under orchestrating greatness — different shelves, same temple. Club journeys add another layer, with Diego Maradona reaching his representative peak around 1986 across Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and Mesut Özil doing so around 2012 with Schalke, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Fenerbahçe. Each, in his own way, set a standard the other is measured against.
171 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.”
Mesut Özil is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Known for his ball control, technical skills, creativity, passing skills, and vision, he is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation. Born and raised in Gelsenkirchen, Özil began his senior club career playing for hometown club Schalke 04, before signing with Werder Bremen in 2008, aged 19.
“A left-footed chance creator whose weight of pass and scanning made assists look effortless.”
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 (2014)
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
- 2004 Established himself at Schalke
- 2008 Reached his defining peak
- 2012 Delivered a landmark season
- 2023 Retired from professional football
The verdict
If forced to pick, Diego Maradona is the choice: a narrow margin, with a sharper goalscoring record the deciding factor.
Diego Maradona edges it (a narrow margin)
