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Mauricio Pochettino believes Lionel Messi needs to lead Argentina to 2022 World Cup victory to establish himself as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham coach is keen for his national team to reach the final in Qatar and Messi must be their key. He believes that Messi needs to win the World Cup to prove to everyone his greatness and to be in the line of the icon of Argentina, Diego Maradona and the legend of Brazil, Pele.
“Yes, it matters, because the World Cup is different. Like Maradona or Pele, you must confirm this with this trophy, which is the maximum of football. When you lift this trophy, it’s like saying, “OK, he’s the best in the world.” It is the only trophy that Messi lacks, that is the World Cup and I hope that this happens in Qatar. Because I am Argentine and of course it is my wish for Argentina to win the World Cup. Messi is one of the best and deserves the same place as Maradona and Pele”, said Pochettino to The Athletic, when asked if the World Cup victory is important for Messi to be among the best footballers in the history of football.
Qatar 2022 will be Messi’s fifth World Cup of his career, with the Albiceleste coming closest to winning it in 2014 when they reached the final against Germany. Dwelling on comparisons made to him with Argentina’s 1986 hero Maradona, Pochettino added: Maradona could play today and Messi could play in the past as well. Like Pele or Di Stefano or Cruyff, these types of players know how to adapt because they are very, very, very smart. They can adapt to any period of time.”
Messi will lead Argentina after his 165 appearances where he has scored 91 goals, leaving behind Javier Mascherano and Gabriel Batistuta respectively.
Following his performance as captain against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, where Messi scored a goal and provided an assist, the Rosario-born will lead the Albiceleste in their Group C match against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
