Football icon Lionel Messi paid homage to former Argentina coach Diego Maradona on his second death anniversary on November 25. Messi’s tribute came at a time when Maradona’s son Diego Sinagra criticised the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner after a shock 1-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening game at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
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Messi uploaded a picture of Maradona from his playing days with no caption.
Argentina, a pre-tournament favourite for the World Cup, lost to Saudi Arabia despite Messi putting his team ahead by scoring from the spot. He also had a goal ruled out for offside.
Messi - the highest scorer for La Albiceleste with 92 goals - has long been regarded as the successor of Maradona. Although he achieved great success in European club football and ended Argentina’s 28-year wait for the Copa America title in 2021, Messi is yet to get his hands on football’s most coveted trophy - the World Cup.
Following the defeat to Green Falcons in the opener, Maradona’s son Sinagra said, “I am devastated by this defeat.”
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“The comparison between Messi and my dad is made by those who do not understand football. We are talking about two different planets, but I do not want to immediately throw the cross at Lionel,” he added.
With Argentina languishing at the bottom of Group C, Messi’s team will face Mexico on Saturday night in a do-or-die match. In its last game against Poland, Mexico played out a draw that saw its goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa save a penalty by Robert Lewandowski.
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