Maradona, Argentina President urge Messi not to quit

Diego Maradona insists Lionel Messi must not follow through on his vow to quit international football.

Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri has also personally contacted Messi to try and persuade the Barcelona star not to quit the national team.

An emotional Messi dropped a bombshell following Argentina’s heartbreaking 4-2 penalty shoot-out loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario final on Sunday, announcing his intention to walk away from the national team.

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But Argentine legend, Maradona, said Messi must play at the 2018 World Cup.

“Messi has to stay in the national team. He will go to Russia in form to be world champion,” Maradona said via La Nacion.

“He has to rely more on boys who can help take the team forward and less on those who say they have to go.”

Aspokesman for Argentina’s president told AFP: “He [Macri] called him and told him how proud he feels of the national team’s performance and asked him not to listen to the criticism.”

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