“Playing like that, he can’t come back to Argentina,” the 1986 World Cup winner tells Venezuelan television. “It’s a disgrace. Not having prepared for the match knowing that Iceland are all 1.90m tall… I get the feeling there’s a general anger at the heart of the team.”
Maradona acknowledged the threat that the Nigerian team posed and how difficult it would be to better them. According to him:
‘’The Nigerians are young and very fast. Their counter-attacks and pace are a beauty to behold. I wonder how Sampaoli will do it. All I know is that he would not be welcomed back to Argentina if he does not guide Argentina to beat Croatia and Nigeria to qualify.”
Maradona however, chose not to criticise Lionel Messi for his penalty miss, stating that the 5 time Balon d’Or winner gave it his best.
“I don’t blame the players. I could blame the lack of work rate. But I can’t blame the players, much less Messi, who gave it all he had,” he says.
