MX23RW : Wednesday, November 6 01:31:01| >> :120:10424:10424:

Gabriel Batistuta: 'Argentina have not adapted to Lionel Messi'

Batistuta: 'Argentina must adapt to Messi'
© Offside
Former Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta believes that Barcelona have adapted to Lionel Messi better than his country, and so have yielded more reward.

Former Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta said that he believes Lionel Messi has enjoyed more success with Barcelona than his national team due to his club adapting to his style of football.

Messi has established himself as one of the greatest footballers in history during his time at Camp Nou, helping Barcelona to four Champions League titles, eight La Liga crowns and five Copas del Rey in addition to a plethora of individual honours.

The only honour Messi has won for Argentina came at the 2008 Olympics, though, and Batistuta believes that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is better set up to succeed at club level.

When asked why Messi is better in La Liga, Batistuta told Marca: "Basically because Barcelona have adapted to his way of playing.

"Players like Ronaldinho, Xavi, Neymar and others have come and gone but nothing has changed. The same with the coaches as they all look for the best team to play around him.

"At the same time it is not as easy to play Brazil or Germany as it is to face Eibar. Everything is more complicated with the national team."

Despite Messi's relative lack of success for his country, the 30-year-old is still Argentina's leading goalscorer of all time and has appeared in the finals of the World Cup and Copa America at international level.

ID:314035: cacheID:314035:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2546:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Philippe Coutinho puts his side back in front during the Premier League game between Liverpool and Everton on April 1, 2017
Read Next:
Ronaldinho: 'Coutinho can replace Neymar'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!