Jorge Valdano: 'Lionel Messi is a genius'

Former Real Madrid forward Jorge Valdano believes that Barcelona's Lionel Messi will lead Argentina to the World Cup title this summer.

The South American outfit have not won the competition since 1986, but Valdano, who made 23 appearances for his country, has backed Messi to thrive in Brazil.

"A team that has Messi in the 23-man squad can't fail to be candidates for the trophy," he told EFE.

"He's the first genius of the 21st century. Argentines distanced themselves because they forgot about the ball, which had been their passion for 100 years.

"I think we've moved away from [legendary coach] Cesar Luis Menotti, who reflected our footballing culture best and that is condemning us."

Valdano finished his career with Real Madrid.