Argentine president asks Messi not to qui

Buenos Aires: Argentine President Mauricio Macri called football star Lionel Messi Monday and asked him to stick with the national team despite his vow to quit after a humiliating defeat, a spokesman said.”He called him and told him how proud he feels of the national team’s performance and asked him not to listen to the criticism,” urging him not to quit, the spokesman told AFP by telephone.Argentine football legend Diego Maradona also urged Lionel Messi not to follow through on his vow to quit the national team after its defeat in the Copa America Centenario.”Messi has to stay in the national team. He has to stay because he still has playing days ahead of him,” Maradona was quoted as saying by La Nacion newspaper online.