Petit: Messi is not a leader like Ronaldo

The former Barcelona star believes the Portugal star’s leadership abilities give him the edge over over the Argentine

Lionel Messi does not have the same leadership qualities as Cristiano Ronaldo, according to former Barcelona player Emmanuel Petit.

Messi has struggled to make an impact so far at Russia 2018, with Argentina on the brink of an early World Cup exit following their humiliating 3-0 defeat to Croatia on Friday.

Whereas Ronaldo netted a hat-trick in Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Spain before scoring their winner against Morocco, Messi has floundered in front of goal – missing a penalty against Iceland before putting in an underwhelming display in Nizhny Novgorod.

Jorge Sampaoli’s side must now beat Nigeria to stand a chance of qualifying, although they could still miss out should Iceland manage an unlikely victory over Croatia, and Petit – a World Cup winner with France in 1998 – insists Messi must shoulder some of the blame.

“And the manager Sampaoli has made so many mistakes since the start of the tournament, in choosing his team, making substitutions, everything.

“You remember so many Argentina teams with great players in the past, but this team is so far from those. They look terrible.”