Legendary Argentina striker Hernan Crespo believes Lionel Messi deserves to win a World Cup – but he does not feel his compatriot needs to lift the Jules Rimet trophy to be considered an all-time great.

It is already widely believed that Messi is up there with the best ever in the game, with compatriot Diego Maradona and Brazil icon Pele, although there remain questions as to his validity to being spoken of in the same breath as players who have won the World Cup, while he hasn’t.

The 31-year-old has won 32 titles in football and a joint record five Ballon d’Ors in 14 seasons at Barcelona, but has never lifted football’s most coveted trophy.

“A lot of players are great in our memories without winning the World Cup,” Crespo told BBC Sport.

“Messi is a fantastic player. I love to watch him so much and he’s a very good guy. He deserves to win the World Cup. If he wins he’s a great player, but he is still a great player if he doesn’t.

“How many great players didn’t win it? I don’t remember Johan Cruyff or [Michel] Platini doing it.”

Messi and Argentina got to the final of the tournament four years ago, losing to Germany 1-0, and have endured a difficult start to their bid to win a third title following a frustrating 1-1 draw with debutants Iceland in their opening game in Russia.

They next face Croatia in their second Group D game on Thursday.

This World Cup is Messi’s fourth. He won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player in Brazil and helped La Albiceleste reach the quarter-finals in 2006 and 2010.

Crespo, Argentina’s fourth-highest scorer with 35 goals in 64 games, said Messi’s chances of success with the national team had been undermined by factors away from the pitch.

“We don’t help him so much and by that I mean coaches, presidents of federations etc,” he said.

“It’s a pity because he’s the most important player in the world and we don’t help him. He wants to do it so much. He maybe feels that pressure.

“At Barcelona it has become natural to win but at Argentina we’ve been so unlucky. He’s one of the best in history. If you like football you love to see Messi.”

Hernan Crespo is Argentina’s fourth highest scorer of all time with 35 goals.

Under Maradona’s captaincy, Argentina lifted the World Cup in 1986 – when he won the Golden Ball – and were runners-up four years later.

He played 21 games – an Argentina record – in four World Cups. But Crespo thinks it is unfair to compare the country’s two icons.

“I don’t like to compare Diego and Messi because it’s impossible,” said Crespo, who played for Chelsea in the Premier League as well as having spells at Parma, Lazio and AC and Inter Milan.

“It’s impossible in the hearts of Argentinean people. Diego had such an impact for us it’s impossible to compare.

“Diego was not just about football – he was bigger than football. It’s because of that it’s impossible to love Messi as much as Maradona.”