Diego Maradona vs Teddy Sheringham: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Striker, England (born 1966, retired 2008)
Few debates split football fans quite like Diego Maradona versus Teddy Sheringham. Legacy is the only real measure that outlives the numbers, and both have staked towering claims. Career output puts Diego Maradona at 293 goals in 582 games, with Teddy Sheringham at 320 in 900. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Diego Maradona is credited with 0 and Teddy Sheringham with 130. The honours ledger favours Diego Maradona with 6 major trophies (1× FIFA World Cup (1986)) against Teddy Sheringham's 4 (1× UEFA Champions League (1999)). History will file Diego Maradona under flair-driven greatness and Teddy Sheringham under clinical 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; Teddy Sheringham's came around 1999 across Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, West Ham United, Colchester United. The honest conclusion is that comparison enriches appreciation rather than crowns a single winner.
184 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 cerebral, late-developing striker, Sheringham scored the injury-time equaliser in Manchester United's 1999 Champions League final and remains the Premier League's oldest ever goalscorer.
“An intelligent, deep-dropping forward whose clever hold-up play and vision created space for quicker strike partners.”
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× UEFA Champions League (1999)
- 2× Premier League (1999, 2000)
- 1× FA Cup (1999)
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
- 1984 Professional debut for Millwall
- 1999 Won UEFA Champions League with Manchester United
- 1999 Won FA Cup with Manchester United
- 1999 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester United
- 2008 Retired after a final spell at Colchester United
- Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
Weighing production against honours, Diego Maradona takes the verdict — a decisive margin, driven by a stronger all-round attribute profile.
Diego Maradona edges it (a decisive margin)
