New Delhi: Football legend Pele on Friday urged Lionel Messi to reconsider his decision to leave the Argentine team after losing the Copa America Centenario 2016 final against Chile.


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Pele, only player to win three football World Cups, told Sky Sports that Messi had been, without a doubt, "the world's best player for the past 10 years".


"What happened to him is something that only happens in soccer. Only the person who shoots a penalty can miss it," Pele added.


"It's normal that he is sad and disappointed, but he has to wait a bit and forget this incident, since it is something that many good players have gone through. Everyone has missed a penalty at some point," said the former star called 'O Rei' by fans in Brazil.


Messi, the 29-year-old forward of FC Barcelona and the Argentina squad, announced on June 26 his retirement from the national team after missing a crucial penalty in the shoot-out during the Centennial America Cup final against Chile, his third consecutive loss in an international final.