Quotes from Mario Kempes

Messi owes something to Argentina. He knows that.

Even Cristiano Ronaldo has developed from a selfish goalscorer into someone who likes to pass the ball.

I wasn't a No. 9, as everyone believes today. Every time I played as a No. 9, I failed.

I couldn't be bothered with the whole shaving-every-couple-of-days routine.

I wasn't skilful at all... but I'm not saying I was that bad either! I used to take my chances. I was more of a midfielder and therefore a weird striker.

We cannot pretend that Messi will solve all the problems. He cannot carry everything on his shoulders.

Maradona was absolutely the best player I ever played with.

I'd love to work in Argentina but there aren't any possibilities to manage there. The managers always remain the same. They just swap clubs once in a while.

I have stopped being a Valencia ambassador through contract but not through the heart.

All of us know that Messi cannot win alone, except for the fanatics or the mental patients who put in doubt Messi's talents, saying that he is a bottler, that he feels nothing for Argentina, that he doesn't sing the anthem, that he goes to the bathroom 50 times before a game. Those are things that are said to make an impression.

Every time Maradona speaks it makes life difficult for everyone and there are those of us who don't agree with that, not when he talks about football, but rather about people.

Argentina have always produced very good players, and mine is just another name on the list.

The game was different then, when I used to play. The ball ran more than the players and to some extent there was greater technical skill.

It is very difficult to play beside Messi and whoever understands it any other way is a fool.

Good players can do well everywhere and Soldado is a good footballer.

On the field Icardi always does a good job, what he does off it, I don't care at all. What I do care is what he does for my team on the pitch.

I love being able to play myself if I fancy, and take myself off as soon as I've had enough.

A World Cup without Argentina and without Messi would be a catastrophe.

When Diego won the World Cup in 1986, perhaps he had the luck that Messi has not had. Diego had very good teammates and things went well.

I remember listening to my first World Cup in 1966. I was with my parents, helping them build our house and listening to it on the radio. We still didn't have a TV back then, but fortunately the first time I listened to a World Cup Jose Maria Munoz was commentating, and he's one of the best there is.

When you're a player and you win the World Cup and other titles you don't get the chance to enjoy the moment because of the media scrum. You end up getting tired of it. But when the years go by and you look back on it all, then you understand just what it is that you achieved, that we achieved.

The only ones who would be happy if Messi doesn't go to the World Cup would be Maradona fans because, that way, they can keep saying that he's the best.

You can put the players on the pitch but they always move and systems change. I think, though, that Messi has to be a special case and that the other nine outfield players should support him. But one player on his own is not going to win you the World Cup.

This is one thing every coach can take from Menotti. If you win the World Cup, no one can criticize you.