Diego Maradona would have been very happy with Copa America win, admits Cesar Luis Menotti
Argentina won the 2021 Copa America
|Former Argentina coach Cesar Luis Menotti believes that Diego Maradona would have been proud and very happy at Argentina and Lionel Messi’s Copa America trophy win. The La Albiceleste lifted the 2021 Copa America for the first time in 28 years after beating rivals Brazil in the final in Brazil.
With Lionel Messi turning 34 during the Copa America, it had many believing that if Argentina failed to win the competition then the superstar would never win an international honour. However, with a clash set up against Brazil in the Copa America final, all it took was a goal from Angel Di Maria to ensure that the La Albiceleste beat their arch-rivals Brazil in the final. It meant that Argentina lifted the Copa America title for the first time in 28 years, with Messi winning his first international title.
It has seen many fans and critics alike overjoyed for both the country and Messi, as Cesar Luis Menotti even admitted that Diego Maradona would have been proud of the win and of Lionel Messi as well. Menotti, who coached Maradona during his U-20 days with Argentina and at Barcelona, added that Messi deserved the trophy because the Argentine is one of the best in the world and someone who is prepared to do anything to help his teammates win.
"Diego, if he were still here, would have been very happy with this title. He would have been out there hugging Messi and there would have been tears. Messi is at the top of his game. He's happy and not just about the win, but also because he's surrounded by people who love him," Menotti said, reported Goal.
“Messi did amazing things for this team. Messi is a player who, unlike others, is prepared to win a match, to make his teammates play well and make his team play well. It's also complicated being Messi, you know. He's at his best in every sense - emotionally and physically. He's a boy who's always prepared."
