Messi temporarily withdrew from Argentina, Maradona praised his decision. In an exclusive interview with Ole newspaper, the old horse praised Messi for always being a perfect score of 10 points and supported Messi to temporarily withdraw from Argentina.
Maradona first talked about the World Cup: “I only like the Belgian way of playing. They played very beautifully. Argentina performed badly and everything was messy. The Football Association said that there was no money, but it gave Sang Baoli a $20 million liquidated damages. This situation is thought-provoking, but I don’t want to say more because I have said it too many times.”
Maradona also criticized the Argentine international: “For the loss, the players would have been guilty. But the Argentine team has never taken responsibility as we have in the past. They are another generation.”
Maradona does not compare himself with Messi: “I don’t want to compare myself with anyone. People always talk to me about Messi, but I don’t want to say anything. In my eyes, he always shows 10 points. But I am the only Maradona, I use football to shut the fans.”
Maradona supported Messi to temporarily withdraw from the team: “I will tell him to stay in Europe, don’t fly back and waste time. Messi returns, Argentina can win more games in the warm-up match, and can also get more appearance fees. But for Messi, he doesn’t have to run for this money.”
Maradona is not optimistic about Pocheitino’s entry into Argentina: “He knows how to win, but he is all in Tottenham. I have already told the Argentine Football Association that Pochettino can’t leave Spurs.”