Bilardo: Messi needs to win a World Cup to be at Pele and Maradona's level
Posted Monday, April 02, 2018 by Marca.com
Lionel Messi will be remembered as one of the best player's ever, but to go down in history with the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona he has to win the World Cup, former Argentina coach Carlos Bilardo has claimed.
The No.10 led the Albiceleste to a World Cup final and to two Copa American finals in 2014, 2015 and 2016, but didn't win any of them and Bilardo considers this a blot on his CV.
"Messi is always compared to Maradona, to reach that same level he needs to bring the World Cup to Argentina," he told Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.
Bilardo, though, is confident that Messi can achieve this in Russia this summer.
"They have a good chance," he said of Argentina's options to win the tournament.
"Messi needs to be given total freedom, with no defensive obligations."The team is strong and go one better than in 2014, when we could have won.
"We were better than Germany."
As for his thoughts on the recent 6-1 loss to Spain, he insisted that he was glad this happened in a friendly and not in the tournament.
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