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As Lionel Messi prepares to lead Argentina into another FIFA World Cup final, former India coach and current Rwanda national team manager Stephen Constantine has made a bold assessment of the Argentine superstar, insisting that while Messi is among football’s greatest, he is “not the best” in history.Speaking to PTI from Rwanda ahead of Sunday’s blockbuster final against Spain, the Englishman ranked Pelé, Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho above the 39-year-old, arguing that Argentina’s tactical setup allows Messi to conserve energy and maximise his attacking influence.Messi has enjoyed a spectacular tournament, scoring eight goals and providing four assists as defending champions Argentina reached a second successive World Cup final, including a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in the semifinals.
‘Messi is unstoppable with the ball’
Constantine praised Messi’s brilliance in possession but said Argentina’s collective work enables the captain to shine.“Messi is a wonderful player, one of the greatest, but the difference is that Argentina have six or seven players doing the running for him and getting him the ball,” Constantine said.“When he has the ball, he’s almost unstoppable. But without it, you’re effectively playing with 10 men because the others have to cover his work. Argentina do that brilliantly. So, yeah, no, no, for me, he’s not the best. He’s one of the best, but he’s not. I wouldn’t say he’s the best,” he added.The comments come ahead of what is expected to be Messi’s final World Cup appearance, with the Argentine icon chasing a fourth world title for his country.
Constantine backs Spain to lift the trophy
Despite acknowledging Argentina’s experience and Messi’s ability to decide matches on his own, Constantine believes Spain’s collective style gives them a slight edge in the title clash.“Well, I think it’s going to be close. If I was a betting man, which I’m not, but if I was, I think I would put my money on Spain to beat Argentina,” he said. “But again, I thought England would be able to get past Argentina. So let’s see. It’s going to be a good final. These games are, I think, unpredictable.”He highlighted Spain’s work ethic across the pitch as the biggest difference between the finalists.“Rodri is a top player. And the difference with the Spanish side is that they will all run. They will all do the work. In Argentina, Messi is not going to be tracking back to mark players. He’s not going to win any headers. When you get him the ball, he’s fantastic, possibly unbeatable. But against a Spanish team where everybody’s going to be working very, very hard to get the ball and close Messi down, I think it’ll be a good game. I think Spain, they’re going to win this,” he explained.
