Messi wants Milan giants back in Champions League

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Bengaluru, November 27: Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi believes Inter and AC Milan must return to the Champions League in the near future to help Italian football rediscover its reputation in Europe.

The two San Siro giants have lifted the famous trophy on 10 occasions between them - the most recent instance coming in 2010 when Jose Mourinho's Inter completed the treble, having ousted Messi's Barcelona in the semi-finals.

AC Milan are seven-time winners of the elite competition in Europe whereas Inter won the tournament thrice. However, both Milan giants have had a poor time in recent years and have been notable absentees from the Champions League.

The failure of the national team to reach next year's World Cup was a hammer blow to Italian football, and Messi believes the two Milan rivals returning to European football's top table would go some way to repairing the damage.

Messi was speaking after picking up the Golden Shoe award for finishing 2016-17 as Europe's top scorer and he expressed his concerns over the decline of Italian football in recent years.

Friday's ceremony marked the fourth time the Argentinian has claimed the prize, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's tally.

"Italian football in recent years is no longer the same. And I believe that this has to do not only with the non-qualification to the World Cup," Messi said, in quotes reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"For example, two greats in Serie A, Milan and Inter, are no longer those that were about 10 years ago and no longer play in the Champions League, and this affects all Italian football.

"They are basically trying to get back, especially the two Milanese clubs must return to be competitive at European level."

After a long time, Inter are looking quite impressive this campaign and could very well make their comeback in the Champions League next season while AC Milan, despite spending a fortune to revamp their squad, have flattered to deceive this campaign.