– Diego Maradona has made it clear it is time for Messi to quit international football – The Argentine legend said the Barcelona star has been blamed for the country’s woes – The 30-year-old last featured for the national team since their exit from the World Cup Argentina legend Diego Maradona has said Lionel Messi should retire from international football. The Barcelona star man has not played for the nation since they were knocked out of the World cup last 16 by France. The Albisclete have played two friendly matches against Guatemala and Colombia without Messi and the 30-year-old has also been ruled out for the Saudi Arabia and Brazil friendlies later in October. His international career has now been thrown into serious doubt and Maradona believes Messi should hang his boots from the international scene. “What would I tell Messi? To not come back any more. To retire,” Maradona told Clarin. “The Under-15s lose and it is Messi’s fault, the fixture list in Argentina puts Racing against Boca and Messi is to blame. “He is always to blame. Stop breaking my balls. “I would tell him: ‘don’t go anymore, man’. Let’s see if they can handle that. Let’s see if they’re really big men. “I would have liked to see him tell us all to f**k off. Because he is not to blame for us not being world champions. “Fine, we all placed our hopes in him, but when you go to the racetrack you hope your horse wins and he comes in eighth. “In Formula One Vettel has a great engine and Hamilton beats him. “Right now the national team doesn’t do anything for me or for the people. We have lost that. The passion. “It cannot play against Nicaragua or Malta, no, brother. We are throwing all the prestige we earned down the toilet.” The Seleccion’s interim coach Lionel Scaloni recently confirmed the unavailability of their charismatic captain. “I talked to him and we still think that the best thing is that he doesn’t come, that he’s not in,” Scaloni said. “We are in a different stage and these guys have to keep putting on the shirt of the national team and see what they show, which is the most important thing.” Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had earlier reported that Argentine legend Diego Maradona is close to becoming manager of Mexican second division side Dorados de Sinaloa, The Sun quoting ESPN. The two-time World Cup is understood to be in talks with the Ascenso MX side but there are complications due to his role with Dynamo Brest.
