Diego Maradona vs David James: Stats Compared
Forward / Playmaker, Argentina (born 1960, retired 1997) · Goalkeeper, England (born 1970, retired 2014)
Ask any fan to rank Diego Maradona above or below David James and you will get a passionate answer. Honours are what separate great players from trophy-laden legends, and both qualify. By the end Diego Maradona had 293 goals from 582 caps and club outings; David James had 0 from 850. Assists were never formally recorded across most of their eras, so the playmaking dimension has to be judged on reputation and highlights rather than hard totals. Trophy counts give Diego Maradona 6 and David James 1, with 1× FIFA World Cup (1986) and 1× FA Cup (2008) the standout honours respectively. Diego Maradona built his medal haul through years of explosive consistency, while David James won his with brave bursts of brilliance. 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 David James doing so around 2005 with Watford, Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Bristol City, Bournemouth. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
182 words · comparison angle: trophies
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.”
The Premier League's most-capped goalkeeper at the time of his retirement, James was renowned for his shot-stopping and occasional highlight-reel errors across a two-decade top-flight career.
“An athletic, agile shot-stopper whose reflexes and command of his box made him a mainstay of English goalkeeping for two decades.”
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× FA Cup (2008)
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 Watford
- 2008 Won FA Cup with Portsmouth
- 2005 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester City
- 2014 Retired after a final spell at Bournemouth
- Finished his career with 0 goals in 850 appearances and 1 major honours. Finished his career with 0 goals in 850 appearances and 1 major honours.
The verdict
Taking goals, assists, silverware and overall profile together, Diego Maradona takes it by a decisive margin.
Diego Maradona edges it (a decisive margin)
