Hernan Crespo: Lionel Messi is still a great player if he doesn't win the World Cup

Moscow, June 21: Former Argentina striker Hernan Crespo believes his native star Lionel Messi has already become a great player and doesn’t need to win a World Cup to prove that.

In the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Russia, the 30-year-old Argentina forward Lionel Messi is facing huge criticism after missing a crucial penalty in their opening game of this tournament against the World Cup debutant Iceland, which resulted in a 1-1 draw.

FIFA WC Fixtures

To prove Messi’s greatness in football, Crespo pointed out that many great players haven’t won, the most prestigious World Cup trophy.

The former Chelsea striker told BBC Sport, "A lot of players are great in our memories without winning the World Cup. Messi is a fantastic player. I love to watch him so much and he's a very good guy. He deserves to win the World Cup. If he wins he's a great player, but he is still a great player if he doesn't.

"How many great players didn't win it? I don't remember Johan Cruyff or [Michel] Platini doing it."

Playing three World Cup tournaments (2006, 2010 and 2014) before this edition, Messi’s Argentina has provided their best performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil where the Latin American nation finished as the runner-up and Messi won the Golden Ball of the tournament.

Crespo claimed that Messi doesn’t get much help from the Argentina players like he gets naturally from his Spanish La Liga club Barcelona.

Crespo said, "We don't help him so much and by that, I mean coaches, presidents of federations etc. It's a pity because he's the most important player in the world and we don't help him. He wants to do it so much. He maybe feels that pressure.

"At Barcelona, it has become natural to win but at Argentina, we've been so unlucky. He's one of the best in history. If you like football you love to see Messi."

While Argentina football legend Diego Maradona criticised the national team coach Jorge Sampaoli for the disappointing 1-1 draw result in the tournament opener, Crespo backed the coach by pointing out that he didn’t get much time to work with the team.

Sampaoli joined the national team in June 2017 and got only a few competitive matches before the World Cup.

Crespo spoke about the coach, "The coach has come in for the last 10 matches and it's not easy in that short time. I like Sampaoli so much but he's the type of manager who needs time. In the next World Cup we will be great, but in a short time, it's very difficult. You need to choose the players that can feel each other very well."

The 42-year-old Argentine feels that it is impossible to compare the nation’s legend Diego Maradona with Messi. He feels Maradona was bigger than football. During Maradona’s international football career, Argentina had won one World Cup in 1986 and also had finished once as a runner-up in the next edition (1990).

Crespo said on that comparison, "I don't like to compare Diego and Messi because it's impossible. It's impossible in the hearts of Argentinean people. Diego had such an impact for us it's impossible to compare.

"Diego was not just about football - he was bigger than football. It's because of that it's impossible to love Messi as much as Maradona."

Crespo further added that Messi doesn’t get similar support as Maradona received from the team-mates. He concluded, "Messi doesn't get the same support from his team-mates as Maradona did. You can't give all the responsibility to Messi. Because then what's the point of you being there?"