Maradona then defended the Barcelona man, saying that people should give him a break and not expect him to be the world-beater he undoubtedly is in every game he competes in.

The former Argentina boss said: “I want to defend Messi. He always plays, he loves the Argentine shirt – I can’t believe all these idiots who take to the airwaves to do him down.

“I talked with him this week and told him to take things calmly. Let’s not blame Leo. We have the best in the world, an exceptional boy.”

Now this may be a coincidence, but following this public backing by Maradona, the Barcelona star turned on the style in his Messi Copa America Kit to help Argentina to a 3-0 win over Costa Rica.

The three points meant that Sergio Batista’s men have progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition after performing in a much more refreshing manner than the first two games.

It could certainly be concluded that Maradona has an influence over Argentinean football even when he is not involved in an official capacity. Messi would have taken confidence from his backing and gone into the Costa Rica game with a sense of freedom.

A talented player like Messi is always going to shine eventually too. Perhaps he has timed his best form just right for Argentina in this instance. He can now push on and be at his influential best in the latter stages of the competition.

Messi needs a big tournament to win over some Argentina fans, that’s for sure. After the performance against Costa Rica though, he is moving in the right direction and will now look to make the 2011 Copa America his own.