Juan Roman Riquelme has claimed that Argentina are just "a normal team" without the presence of Lionel Messi.
Argentina are currently struggling to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, with the South American nation sitting down in fifth position in their qualification table.
Messi has only featured in five of Argentina's last 12 competitive matches, and despite the presence of the likes of Sergio Aguero, Angel di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain, Riquelme has claimed that Messi makes all the difference for Edgardo Bauza's side.
"Argentina without Messi is a normal team, but this of course the best player in the world," Riquelme told Canal 13. "The same thing would happen to Real Madrid without Cristiano Ronaldo."
Riquelme, who retired from professional football in 2014 after a spell with Argentinos Juniors, scored 17 times in 51 appearances for Argentina between 1997 and 2008.
Matt Law
