The
Argentina captain has come under criticism after his side failed to win the
World Cup final but the Chelsea boss insists he is still one of the best ever
Jose
Mourinho has defended Lionel Messi for his displays at the World Cup, claiming
he is a "historical player" despite Argentina losing in the final to
Germany.
The
Argentina captain won the Golden Ball award, given to the best player of the
tournament, but has come under criticism from all corners with many, including
Diego Maradona insisting he didn't deserve the award.
But Mourinho
has leapt to his defence, insisting that he doesn't need to win the World Cup
to be identified as one of the best players of all time.
"It's
easy to respect him when he has won but when he has lost, it's not so
easy," the Chelsea boss told Yahoo.
"He is
still a historical player. He does not need to be world champion to be a
historical player, especially in this last decade.
"For me
Pele is Pele and Maradona is Maradona. It's not for me to compare players from
different generations.
"Maybe
because he is from the same generation as when I was born - for me Maradona is
Maradona."
When asked
if he felt Messi was a scapegoat for Argentina's failings, Mourinho replied:
"Not at all," before going on to question Albiceleste coach Alejandro
Sabella's decisions in the final defeat to Germany.
"I
think in the first half he had fantastic options," he added. "I would
like to know why Lavezzi stayed in the dressing room at half-time.
"Argentina
had been playing with two lines of four, with Enzo Perez closing Phillipp Lahm
and Lavezzi doing the same on the other side. Because they were so compact
Messi could walk while defending and then when he got the ball he had the
energy to make the difference.
"When
Sabella brought Aguero on for Lavezzi, Argentina changed from a 4-4-2 to a
4-3-3 and they lost a lot of balance. Messi had to run much more after Lavezzi
went off.
"The
team lost balance and especially energy - energy that they needed in
extra-time."
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