Lionel Messi must stay on, says Diego Maradona

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona on Monday urged Lionel Messi not to follow through on his vow to quit the national team after its defeat in the Copa America Centenario

Buenos Aires: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona on Monday urged Lionel Messi not to follow through on his vow to quit the national team after its defeat in the Copa America Centenario.

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi

"Messi has to stay in the national team. He has to stay because he still has playing days ahead of him," Maradona was quoted as saying by La Nacion newspaper online. "He will go to Russia in form to be world champion at the 2018 World Cup," he added.

Messi decided to quit after Argentina's defeat on penalties to Chile on Sunday.

Messi is widely rated as the best player in the world, but that was his fourth defeat in an international final for Argentina. Maradona, 55, blamed Argentina's recent lack of trophies on the country's football association (AFA).

He accused it of not supporting Messi and letting him take the blame.

"The lads have to be supported more to help him take the team forward," the newspaper quoted Maradona as saying.

"Those who are saying he should quit are doing it so that we won't see what a disaster Argentine football has become."

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