Diego Maradona: Dani Alves is an ‘idiot’

The Argentine’s blatant handball helped his nation past England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals as they went on to lift the trophy, with Alves claiming the 56-year-old could not be considered a role model.

"You want to compare Messi to Maradona? You can't compare them," Alves told Brazilian channel Canais Esporte Interativo.

"I would not be proud to say that I won a World Cup with a 'Hand of God.' I wouldn't be able to tell my son that I won a World Cup like this with the whole world talking about it.

"The 'Hand of God' tricked us, you have to take this firm position. A sportsman like this can't be an example for youngsters."

However, Maradona hit back by roasting the full-back’s passing ability.

"Dani Alves is an idiot. He makes 28 passes and only gets four right. As a '4' [right-back], Cafu and Maicon were good. Dani Alves? Poor thing," he told TyC Sports.

"He speaks because he plays in a position on the pitch where football is not played. They [right-backs] touch the ball three times and make eight fouls per game."