'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Argentine legend, Diego Maradona, has again sparked off a controversy as he maintained his line about Lionel Messi for not being a good leader. Widely considered as the greatest of all time, Diego Maradona suggested that despite his love towards follow countrymen, Lionel Messi will never be able to lead his club and country.
According to an Argentine newspaper 'Ole' as quoted by Mirror, Diego Maradona said,
"I love Messi with all my heart. They want to make him a leader but he isn't able to do that because he's going to be in his sporting world and with his family,"
This was not the first time Diego Maradona attacked the current talisman of Argentina and FC Barcelona. He vehemently criticized Lionel Messi's leadership skills in October 2018 after Argentina's poor performances in the World Cup.
"We shouldn't deify Messi any longer," he told Fox Sports. "He's Messi when he plays for Barcelona. Messi is Messi when he wears that shirt, and he's another Messi with Argentina." Maradona had told Fox Sports in an interview.
"He's a great player but he's not a leader. It's useless trying to make a leader out of a man who goes to the toilet 20 times before a game," he added.
The Argentine great who scored over 300 goals for his club and country and led his nation's World Cup win in 1986 maintains his criticisms regarding Lionel Messi's off the pitch and his personality although Messi's exploits on the pitch have hardly left any space for criticisms.
On the other hand, Leo Messi himself has dominated world football for more than a decade both with Barcelona and Argentina. He has scored over 660 goals and there are wide debates raging about his place in the list of all time greats. The Argentine, 31, is still one of football's finest and was one of the pivotal reasons for Argentina playing in the World Cup.
To be frank, Lionel Messi doesn't express much and remains non-vocal during matches. He maintains his humble personality on the pitch and let his performances and exploits with the ball do the talking.
His staggering numbers will fail to justify Messi's impact with his team and on the minds of opponents. It is crystal clear that the presence of little genius helped his team avoid defeats on uncountable occasions as Messi stepped up and delivered the goods against all obstacles during crucial moments.
Moreover, Leo Messi was the reason why Argentina were able to manage to pass the group stage in the 2014 World Cup where they went on to play the final against Germany. Leo Messi was also the pivotal reason for Argentina qualifying for the World Cup in Russia as he led with his magical left foot and his impact on the pitch.
Lionel Messi chooses not to reply to these repeated insults of Diego Maradona but lets his staggering exploits make his case. Evidently, there are countless number of moves and goals which contradicts Maradona's statements, and it is safe to say that criticizing Leo Messi for not being a leader is extremely unjust.
