FIFA World Cup 2014: Baichung hails 'captain Messi', but says Neymar would win Golden Boot

Aditi Tyagi



Argentina finished on top in Group F, as Lionel Messi once again weaved his magic. In an exclusive chat with Aditi Tyagi of Zee Media, former Indian skipper Baichung Bhutia hailed his game as a skipper but also said that Neymar would win the Golden Boot award.



Excerpts from the conversation:



Let`s talk about Messi`s magic? He has once again proved himself. He has shown glimpses of Diego Maradona of 1986.



Both goals showed outstanding individual brilliance from Messi. Argentina are now peaking at the right time like Brazil, even though their defence was quite weak.



Argentina have finished on the top of Group F. The fans are celebrating like never before.



Messi has now become the highest goal scorer. The Argentine fans are now quite hopeful that their team would win this World Cup.



With his recent form, Messi is now also a serious contender for the Golden boot award?



The way he is going, he is now definitely a very strong contender for the award. Either Messi or Neymar should win it.



Who is your favourite between the two to win the Golden Boot award?



Messi might face little problem as he has scored most of the goals on the basis of individual brilliance. Neymar has more team support and that could go in his favour.



Messi is the captain and just like Maradona did in 1986, people expect him to win matches single-handedly.



To match the class of Maradona, Messi will have to continue working his magic even if his team is not doing well.



Ever since Messi has been given the captaincy, he has looked like a different player.



Yes, everybody used to call him a club player, but he has changed altogether. He has shown his class and is leading by example. Even off the ground, players are very happy with him and they respect him like a leader.



For Switzerland, Xherdan Shaqiri scored a hat-trick which was 50th hat-trick in World Cup history. Switzerland had to wait for it for 60 years. Swiss will now play their next match against Messi`s Argentina.



Switzerland are known as dark horses among European teams. Their match against Argentina could be competitive but I reckon we would once again get to see Messi`s magic.



What do you think of Ronaldo changing his hairstyle so frequently? Is it any sort of superstition?



After Dvaid Beckham, Ronaldo is known as the style icon. Footballers are known to come up with new styles. And I don think it is any sort of superstition.