‘He’s not the best’: Former India coach makes bold claim about Messi ahead of Argentina vs Spain World Cup final Football News
as Lionel Messi Ready to lead Argentina into another fifa world cup During the final, former India coach and current Rwanda coach Stephen Constantine made a bold assessment of the Argentinian superstar, insisting that while Messi is one of the greatest players in the game, he is “not the best in history”.Speaking to PTI in Rwanda ahead of Sunday’s final against Spain, the Englishman listed Pele as: Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho The 39-year-old believes Argentina’s tactical set-up allows Messi to conserve energy and maximize his attacking impact.Messi enjoyed a brilliant campaign, scoring eight goals and adding four assists to help defending champions Argentina reach their second consecutive World Cup final, which included a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in the semi-finals.
“Messi’s ball is unstoppable”
Constantine praised Messi’s performance in possession but said it was Argentina’s collective effort that allowed the captain to shine.“Messi is a great player, one of the greatest, but the difference is that Argentina has six or seven players running for him and passing the ball for him,” Constantine said.“When he has the ball, he is almost unstoppable. But without the ball, you are actually playing with 10 men because others have to cover his job. Argentina does a great job with that. 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 Messi’s final World Cup appearance as the Argentinian icon bids for his country’s fourth world title.
Constantine backs Spain to lift trophy
While acknowledging Argentina’s experience and Messi’s ability to decide a match on his own, Constantine believes Spain’s collective style gives them a slight advantage in the title race.“Well, I think the game will be close. If I were a punter, which I’m not, but if I were, I think I’d put my money on Spain beating Argentina,” he said. “But, again, I think England can beat Argentina. So let’s see. It will be a good final. I think these games are unpredictable.”He highlighted the Spanish team’s work ethic on the pitch as the biggest difference between the finalists.“Rodri is a top player. The difference with the Spanish team is that they will all run. They will all do the job. In Argentina, Messi will not chase the man. He will not win any headers. When you give him the ball, he is great and probably unbeatable. But against Spain, everyone will work very, very hard to get the ball and close to Messi, and I think it will be a good game. I think Spain, they will win this game,” he explained.
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