Messi needs to be treated like other players who wear national-team shirt - Maradona says

Former footballer Diego Maradona says people have got to stop praising Lionel Messi insisting that he doesn't have a major impact when it comes to playing for his country (Argentina).

The 28-year-old Barcelona forward scored just one goal in Copa America 2015 as Argentina finished as runners-up in a major competition for the second time in 12 months, losing the final 4 -1 on penalties to hosts Chile.

"It's logical to fall, it is easy," Maradona told Argentine daily Ole. "We have the best player in the world, one who can go and score four goals on Real Sociedad and then he comes here and doesn't score at all. You would say, but man, are you Argentine or Swedish? We need to stop busting on the folks who say that we should baby Messi. Messi needs to be treated just like we treat all the other players who put on the national team uniform. He is the best in the world, for better or worse. But look, he didn't kill or rape anyone. Let's not turn this into a soap opera."