Lionel Scaloni, coach of the Argentina national team that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, said that Lionel Messi surpassed his compatriot Diego Maradona to be the greatest player ever.
"If I had to choose, I would choose Leo. I had special things with him. He is the greatest of all time, and also Maradona was great," Scaloni told Spanish radio Cope today, Tuesday.
Scaloni said that training Messi is not difficult (French)
Argentines have always preferred Maradona to Messi, but it seems that impression will change after the Paris Saint-Germain striker led his country to winning the World Cup last month for the first time since Maradona did it in 1986.
Scaloni also revealed that he spoke with Messi at the beginning of his assumption of responsibility for coaching Argentina in 2018, after the captain decided to stop international play after the team's disastrous results at the World Cup in Russia.
"The first thing I did was video chat with Messi," Scaloni said. "He said he feels proud and the first thing I said to him was, 'Come back.'"
We are waiting for you.' That's what we did and after 8 months he came back and found a great group (of players)."
He added, "Messi's training is not difficult. You cannot guide him at the technical level, but at times you direct him to press or attack in a certain way. When he finds the opportunity, he is the first to win it."
As Scaloni defended Emiliano Martinez after his enthusiastic celebration after Argentina won the World Cup title, as well as his celebration of the best goalkeeper award with an inappropriate gesture, and put the face of France striker Kylian Mbappe on a doll while celebrating the victory on an open bus in the streets of the Argentine capital.
"There are situations in which he will not be happy, but he is an amazing person," Scaloni said.