Messi to take 'Titi' to task in Marseille

Lionel Messi will put friendships with FC Barcelona team-mates Eric Abidal and Thierry Henry on hold on Wednesday when Argentina meet France in Marseille, maintaining that his side "have three options: win, win or win".

Mutual respect
The two nations meet for the eleventh time at the Stade Vélodrome in a game which pits 21-year-old Messi against Camp Nou team-mates Henry and Abidal. Les Bleus' all-time top scorer with 49 goals, Henry – at 31 – has ten years on Messi, but is in awe of his abilities nonetheless. "I have a lot of respect for him," he said. "The things he does on the pitch are extraordinary."

Finishing skill
Messi and Henry have played starring roles in this season's all-powerful Barça side, who are streaking clear at the top of the Liga with 19 wins from 22 games. Messi has scored 16 goals to Henry's 12, but still envies the Frenchman's final touch. "I would love to have his skill in finishing off a move; his running, his dribbling, his finishing," said Messi.

Wow factor
Henry, meanwhile, conceded that he had often compared his young team-mate to Diego Maradona, who is now Messi's coach with Argentina. The former Arsenal FC striker, known as 'Titi' to his France team-mates, also added that Maradona was one of his boyhood idols, saying: "I saw Maradona do extraordinary things on the pitch. I did not grow up with Pelé – I only saw tapes of him – but the first time I saw Maradona: Wow!"

Domenech dreamland
France coach Raymond Domenech, meanwhile, mused on both Messi and Maradona, now 48, as he looked ahead to the game, saying of the former, "he has something exceptional". He added with a smile of the man who made his debut as Argentina coach in a 1-0 win against Scotland on 19 November 2008: "Like everyone else I was in dreamland watching him as a player, but now I'm facing him as a coach. He is a young coach and I would be happy to show him the benefit of my experience."

'A holy name'
Such irreverent talk would not wash with Messi, who said: "Maradona, for any Argentinian, is a holy name. For us, in football, there is no one better than or even equal to him." Those who have seen Messi in full flow in recent seasons may beg to differ. Domenech, meanwhile, said of Barça's current Argentinian attacker: "We will be up against an outstanding player and we will see if we are able to compete at the highest level."