Diego Maradona has taken another dig at fellow Argentine Lionel Messi, saying the Barcelona stalwart is not cut for a leadership role.

Messi has wowed fans for over 15 years with his football prowess and has collected a plethora of trophies with Barcelona as well as numerous individual honours, including five Ballon d’Ors, but Maradona has never refrained from taking potshots at his fellow countryman, who many regard as the greatest football player of all time.

The 31-year-old was part of the Argentina side at the 2010 World Cup where they were coached by Maradona. While the 1986 World Cup winner reiterates his affection for Messi, he couldn’t stop himself from taking a dig at the Barcelona captain’s leadership qualities.

“I love Messi with all my heart. They want to make him a leader but he isn’t able to do that because he’s going to be in his sporting world and with his family”, he told Argentine newspaper Olé.

This isn’t the first time Maradona has questioned Messi’s leadership credentials. Two month ago, the former Napoli striker went on a bizarre rant, slamming Messi.

“He’s a great player but he doesn’t do it. It’s a waste of time to make him a leader when he needs to go to the bathroom twenty times before a match. He’s scared. Let’s not depend on Messi any more”, he was quoted as saying by ESPN .

Messi last featured for Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where La Albiceleste crashed out in the round of 16 after losing 4-3 to eventual winners France.

First Published: Jan 09, 2019 16:06 IST