I love Lionel Messi, but for me it is always Diego Maradona: Mauricio Pochettino

Tottenham currently sit sixth in the EPL table

London, May 8 (IANS): Tottenham Hotspur Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino has praised his compatriot star Lionel Messi for his two goals scored in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, although the coach couldn't pay Messi the ultimate compliment.

“For me, it is always Maradona. I am sorry, Messi. I love Messi, but for me it is always Maradona,” Pochettino told Efe.

While Messi is the best player in the world, he couldn't help but give preference to another, Pochettino said during a press conference on Thursday ahead of the English Premier League Tottenham-Stoke City tie.

“Maradona is my idol, the best I have ever seen,” Pochettino declared.

All the same, Messi scored two goals in two minutes in Wednesday's tie, one in the 77th minute and the next in the 79th, and assisted the third goal as a cherry on top of Barcelona's 3-0 victory over Bayern.