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Diego Maradona: Messi ‘doesn't have the personality to be a leader’

Former Argentina soccer player Diego Maradona said Barcelona state Lionel Messi does not have the personality of team leader.
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Retired Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona said Barcelona star Lionel Messi does not have the personality of team leader.

“He is a great person, but he has no personality,” Maradona said at a promotional event for the European Champions on Thursday. “He doesn't have the personality to be a leader.”

Maradona coached Argentina’s men’s national team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, leading the team to the quarterfinals. 

“He lacks [the] character to be a leader,” Maradona said of Messi

Messi has not won any major titles with Argentina. He has lost twice in the Copa America final, and his team came up short in the 2014 World Cup final, losing to Germany in extra time. 

Lionel Messi: The world’s best player in his own words

Messi sat out of the club’s opening Copa America Centenario game due to a back injury, and his status for Friday’s match against Panama remains uncertain.