Critics of Messi have often questioned his form for Argentina, claiming that he does not perform at as high a level for his national side as he does for his club.
Many compare Messi with Argentine legend Diego Maradona, who is considered to have almost single-handedly won the World Cup in 1986, stating that the current South American star can not be considered as the greatest unless he wins the tournament.
However, that is not a view shared by former Real Madrid boss Mourinho, who believes that Messi does not have to lift the World Cup in order to be regarded as a great of the game.
At his presentation as Yahoo’s global ambassador for football in 2014, the Portuguese said: “He (Messi) is great, he is great. I do not think he has to win [the World Cup] with Argentina to be great. Cristiano Ronaldo is great – I do not think he needs to be world champion to be great.”
Messi’s Argentina could only manage a disappointing 0-0 draw with Romania on Wednesday night while Ronaldo scored twice in a 5-1 win over Cameroon, becoming the country’s all-time leading goal scorer with 49 goals, breaking Pauleta’s previous record of 47.
via@FDN