Don’t compare Lionel Messi to Pelé or Maradona. He’s more like Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano.

Pelé is widely considered to be the best footballer of all time, while Diego Maradona is similarly considered to be the best player of the last 40 years and the best Argentinian. These are the players Lionel Messi is compared to most often, even though he’s not terribly similar to either of them.

Pelé was a pure second striker, while Messi has proven to be an extremely versatile attacker who can succeed in any position, on any style team. Maradona failed to achieve the longevity of other all-time greats and finished his career having played fewer matches than Messi has already played.

If we absolutely have to pick an all-time great to compare Messi to, it shouldn’t be either of these players. Instead, it should probably be the player he just passed for most career El Clásico goals on Sunday.

Yes, Alfredo Di Stéfano, the Real Madrid legend. Ask a Brazilian who the greatest player of all time is and they’ll tell you Pelé or Garrincha. Ask an Argentine and they’ll probably say Maradona. Ask Barcelona fans and they’ll tell you Johan Cruyff is an underrated player who belongs in the conversation. But ask a Madridista and they’ll tell you that Di Stéfano was, without a doubt, the most complete footballer ever.

Di Stéfano had tricks, but never just for the sake of it. His tricks always had a purpose. He knew that there was a time and a place for them, just as there was a time and a place for simple passes, or for putting his head down and beating an inferior player with a straight-ahead dribble.

He was also, importantly, a player who adapted his game repeatedly over his 20-year career. Di Stéfano was heavily reliant on his physical gifts and overpowered opponents as a young man, but spent his 30s sitting deeper, playmaking for his teammates, and dominating games with his skill and intelligence when he could no longer sprint past anyone he wanted.

Messi’s athletic abilities are undoubtedly declining, but he’s already changed his game to be just as effective as he always was while doing less running. He’s fine letting Neymar do all the dribbling and Luis Suárez all the sprinting.

And while he’ll never again replicate his record-setting 73-goal season or 91 goals in a calendar year, Messi is still one of the best scorers in the world. He doesn’t need to be able to run like he used to. He can let everyone else run past him ...

... then find the open space that his opponents didn’t expect anyone to move into.

Just like late-era Di Stéfano.