Argentina national soccer team coach Gerardo Martino defended superstar Lionel Messi from his critics after failing to help Argentina win the 2015 Copa America title this summer.

Local media in Argentina questioned Messi's commitment to winning for his country, following their loss to host Chile in the final. Even Argentine legend Diego Maradona took a swipe at the FC Barcelona superstar.

"We have the best player in the world, one who can go and score four goals on Real Sociedad and then he comes here and doesn't score at all," Maradona told Ole via ESPN FC. "You would say, but man, are you Argentine or Swedish? We need to stop busting on the folks who say that we should baby Messi."

Messi has had a lot of success at FC Barcelona, as he has helped the club win several major titles, including the UEFA Champions League this year. He has also won four Ballon d'Or awards, but he has yet to win a major trophy for Argentina in international competitions.

The negative reports about Messi led to speculation, suggesting the 28-year-old will consider retiring from international duties to focus on helping FC Barcelona win more trophies in the coming years.

Reacting on the tons of criticism Messi has been receiving over the past several years, Martino told 90 Minutos de Futbol that Messi should retire instead of allowing his critics to hit him hard every time he fails to lead Argentina to a major championship.

"If I were in Messi's place I would have stopped playing with the national team a long time ago, but I would keep playing for Barcelona," Martino said. "To speak about the criticism of Messi is to give strength to something that does not deserve any type of analysis."

Argentine Football Association president Luis Segura also defended Messi last month after reports revealed the superstar forward will take a break from national team duties. Segura expressed hope Messi will continue shrugging down criticism.

"I don't understand why people want to argue over Messi's presence. That is an absolute injustice," Segura fold Ole via ESPN FC. "I hope he never gets tired of the criticism. It would be a shame if Messi left the national team."

Argentina will face Mexico in an international friendly match on Sept. 8 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Reports in Argentina indicated that Messi will skip the match, but Martino insisted the decision will come from the superstar himself.

"It has not come from his mouth, nor my mouth, nor the mouth of the Argentine FA president that Messi was going to take a rest from the national team," Martino said. "It is very difficult to have to explain something that none of those involved has generated."