Martino: If I were Messi, I’d have quit Argentina long ago

Martino spent 2013-14 coaching Messi at Camp Nou before he returned to Argentina, replacing Alejandro Sabella at the helm of the national side while Luis Enrique took his Barca role.

Messi was the main target of criticism in Argentina following their penalty shootout defeat to Chile last month, but Martino believes that the Barcelona forward did not deserve to be singled out.

The Argentinians have criticised Messi all his career, suggesting that the 28-year-old footballer plays better for Barcelona than Argentina, and blaming him for the nation’s struggles to win a major title in recent years.

He came under fire from his compatriots for his perceived under-performance throughout the competition, and was expected to sit out the friendly with Mexico in Dallas scheduled for September 8.

“Messi is not absent from the friendly match”, Martino told Liberman Broadcasting, via Mexican daily newspaper Record. “The criticisms of Messi do not deserve any type of analysis”, he fired.

Exhausted of Lionel Messi over hyping but impotent contribution to the Argentine Course his coach has cleverly asked the Messi to retire and stay in Europe where he shows all his God given talent. “You’ll find out when I name my squad next week”, Martino is quoted as saying by Marca.

“Talk of him considering retiring from the national team is frustrating but understandable; if I was Messi, I’d have stopped playing for Argentina a long time ago.”

“As an Argentine, I would be hugely disappointed because nobody can imagine not having the best player in the world available for selection”.

‘No one imagines a national team without Messi.’.