Diego Maradona vs Hakan Şükür: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Striker, Turkey (born 1971, retired 2008)
Line up Diego Maradona next to Hakan Şükür and the contrasts come quickly. Their textures on the ball are what fans actually remember, and they could hardly be more different. Diego Maradona finishes with 293 career goals from 582 games — a 0.50 strike rate — against Hakan Şükür's 320 from 600 at 0.53 per match. 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 Hakan Şükür with 60. In major honours Diego Maradona collected 6 — headlined by 1× FIFA World Cup (1986) — whereas Hakan Şükür amassed 8, led by 1× UEFA Cup (2000). Diego Maradona played with a explosive that made him unmistakable; Hakan Şükür brought a explosive that was equally his own. The wider career context matters too: Diego Maradona peaked around 1986 after representing Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys, while Hakan Şükür's defining level came around 2000 across Sakaryaspor, Galatasaray, Torino, Galatasaray, Parma, Galatasaray, Blackburn Rovers, Galatasaray. Whichever side you land on, both belong in any conversation about the finest of their generation.
192 words · comparison angle: style
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.”
Turkey's all-time leading goalscorer and captain of Galatasaray's historic 2000 UEFA Cup triumph, Şükür scored the fastest goal in World Cup history in 2002.
“A sharp, physically strong striker whose clinical finishing led Galatasaray's rise to continental success.”
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 Cup (2000)
- 1× UEFA Super Cup (2000)
- 6× Süper Lig (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
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
- 1988 Professional debut for Sakaryaspor
- 2000 Won UEFA Cup with Galatasaray
- 1993 Won Süper Lig with Galatasaray
- 2000 Reached the peak of his powers at Galatasaray
- 2008 Retired after a final spell at Galatasaray
- Finished his career with 320 goals in 600 appearances and 8 major honours. Finished his career with 320 goals in 600 appearances and 8 major honours.
The verdict
On balance Diego Maradona edges the comparison. The margin is a clear margin, decided mostly by a stronger all-round attribute profile.
Diego Maradona edges it (a clear margin)
