Copa America 2019: 'Maradona's Argentina were stronger and had more quality than Messi's', says former Real Madrid boss

What's the story?

Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has rated Diego Maradona's Argentina higher than the current team that is under the leadership of Lionel Messi.

In case you didn't know

Argentina got off to a horrible start in the 2019 Copa America campaign as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Colombia in their opening game.

The defeat made way for heavy criticism primarily directed at the national team captain, Messi, who has been struggling to guide the side to a major international title. With the Barcelona talisman, Argentina have only won the Under-20 World Cup and a gold medal in the Olympics.

La Albiceleste lost the FIFA World Cup final against Germany in 2014, before suffering two back-to-back defeats in the Copa America final in 2015 and 2016.

Messi's international career has subsequently been heavily compared with that of Maradona, who led his home country to World Cup glory in 1986. The Argentine icon himself has been extremely critical of the current team and the leadership behind it.

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The heart of the matter

Capello appears to have come out in defence of Messi, stating that Maradona's World Cup-winning team had better quality than the current one.

Speaking on Radio Marca, the former Blancos manager said,

"People talk about both, but Maradona's Argentina were stronger and had more quality than Messi's. He's had good players in front of him, but in midfield and behind he has missed a defence, that's the important problem."

The Italian also praised Messi's pure love for football, saying,

"Messi is extraordinary, he lives thinking about playing and not about business, like for example Neymar does".

What's next?

Argentina will hope to make up for their defeat to Colombia when they face Paraguay in a Group B clash on Thursday.