Kempes believes Messi cannot overshadow what the former Napoli man did for the Argentina national team.
Messi had a week of his life with the Albiceleste, guiding them to their 15th Copa America title and the first one since 1993.
The 34-year-old had always been criticized for his failure to replicate his Barcelona form whenever he was with the national team.
Having played in five finals including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with Argentina, Messi always fell short when it mattered but the six-time Ballon d’Or winner redeemed himself this time around to help fire Lionel Scaloni’s side to glory.
Kempes, who is considered as one of Argentina’s greats due to his exploits in the 1978 World Cup finals, where he guided Argentina to glory, believes Messi have more to do in order to usurp Maradona’s history in the country.
“For Messi, the misfortune is that he was the replacement for Diego Maradona,” Kempes told the media when asked about Messi and Maradona.
“And it is very difficult to overshadow Diego, with the idolatry that he has received around the world If [Messi] wants to be better than Maradona, he is not going to achieve it even if he wins four World Cups in a row.
“He still hasn’t won the World Cup. No matter how many [titles he] wins or what he wins, it can never be compared to what Diego did.”
