Javier Zanetti pays tribute to resilient Lionel Messi and backs Lautaro Martinez to lead Argentina after farewell

Javier Zanetti has paid an emotional tribute to former international team-mate Lionel Messi ahead of his final Argentina appearance against Benin on Tuesday night. The Inter vice-president placed the talismanic playmaker alongside Diego Maradona, praising his resilience and backing Lautaro Martinez to lead the South American giants forward.

Argentina legend Zanetti has paid a heartfelt tribute to Messi, placing the maestro on the same pedestal as global icon Maradona. The Inter vice-president shared the pitch alongside La Pulga on 37 occasions, including during their Copa America campaigns in 2007 and 2011. Zanetti admitted the forward's extraordinary talent was immediately obvious from their very first training session in the early days of his international career.

Speaking in an interview with Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport , the former Nerazzurri skipper looked back on his earliest encounters with the gifted teenager in the Albiceleste camp.