Jose Pekerman: The world of football needs to enjoy Messi

Jose Pekerman has stressed that he is willing to continue coaching at a high level and expressed his wish to join a club where he can make an impact.

The 72-year-old is the coach with the most matches (48) in World Cup tournaments organised by FIFA, as he was in charge of Argentina for two U17 tournaments, four U20 competitions and one senior World Cup, while he also coached Colombia in two major tournaments.

In an interview with MARCA Claro, Pekerman discussed his intention to return to coaching, his contribution in Lionel Messi choosing to play for Argentina over Spain, and James Rodriguez's injury issues at the 2018 World Cup.

Do you want to coach again?

The desire never left. And I don't think it will go away. I'm [ready] to train tomorrow. I think it's the moment. Me and my team, we have a lot of energy and we are calmly studying various options. I have a young [coaching team], but with extensive experience and well prepared. And yes, the idea is to return to football shortly. Hopefully it happens very soon.

You have had experiences in Europe and America, does coaching in Asia attract you?

As in Qatar, in many Asian countries there is an interesting growth of the game, with a lot of support for football projects and their development.

You were a fundamental factor in Messi choosing Argentina over Spain. How was that and what do you think would have happened if Spain had Messi in their ranks?

I thank God for having been part of the beginnings of both Messi and [Diego] Maradona. They are players who have earned the respect of the world of football. We will always miss Diego, with him a little piece of each one of us has gone. As for Leo, you have to enjoy him, be grateful that he is on a pitch and enjoy him as much as possible.

You could not count on Falcao at the 2014 World Cup and James Rodriguez came into the 2018 World Cup with an injury. And yet, for many Colombia made their two best World Cup tournaments.

Amazing! It was one of the biggest troubles that I had from that spell. They were the two stars at the time. In 2014, Radamel tried to make it but couldn't. In 2018, James' [situation] was a surprise. He was fine when he went to the World Cup. In the tournament, he suffered from his issues and we couldn't have him at his best. I am convinced that with him on the field that tie with England, who knocked us out on penalties, would have been different. I think we would have qualified in the 90 minutes. It is not easy to dispute a World Cup without your stars, but I am happy with [how Colombia did at] both World Cups.