Menotti: 'Messi is not a leader in that sense of being born fighting from below'

Cesar Luis Menotti knows a thing or two about leadership. He was Argentina's manager when La Albiceleste won the 1978 World Cup and is revered in the country, as evidenced by the great affection shown to El Flaco when he entered intensive care in 2011. As charismatic as he is thin, the chain-smoking tactician is, as the Guardian's Jonathan Wilson once wrote, "emblematic of a particular form of South American left-wing intellectualism."

When Menotti talks, people listen. So, it was quite a big deal when, in conversation with Marca's Juan Castro, he supported Diego Maradona's criticism of Lionel Messi to a certain degree. Maradona made headlines recently when he spoke of Messi's faults as a captain, saying: "He doesn't have the personality to be a leader."

Related: Maradona says Messi 'is a great person, but he has no personality'

While many were quick to dismiss Maradona's words as the ramblings of a madman, there's a large contingent of Argentina's population that resonates with his criticism of Messi, and Menotti is one of those people.

"Leo (Messi) is always motivated," Menotti said, as adapted by Euan McTear. "I've always said that (Messi) grew up in Barcelona, surrounded by the big stars and doesn't have the DNA of Maradona, who came through a small team of Argentines, with all that this implies.

"For me, Messi is not a leader in that sense of being born fighting from below, but for me Messi has an exceptional and overwhelming footballing personality and is a tremendous football player. Diego (Maradona) was trying to say that he's not the kind of leader to stand before the group and shout and encourage in the way that he himself did, but the culture is different now.

"For me, in football terms, his personality is very strong as he provides assists and scores many free-kicks, of all types. Argentina is where it is thanks to Messi because without him they wouldn't have got through the first round of the World Cup. He is the best player of recent years, comparable only to Pele, Maradona or (Johan) Cruyff."

Of note, Menotti handed Maradona his international debut when the latter was only 16 years old, but the leftist manager ultimately decided against bringing the No. 10 to the 1978 World Cup.