CARLOS TEVEZ can become Argentina’s greatest player since Diego Maradona following his move to Manchester United.

That is the belief of former World Cup ace Gabriel Batistuta — the man who scored more goals for Argentina than any other player.

He said: “Carlito is definitely at the right club at the right time in his career.

“Playing alongside Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, he can achieve everything he wants.

“It is much better to be playing with other world-class players than just to be the best player in your side.

“At West Ham last season, Tevez did a brilliant job and helped the club to stay up. But he had to do a lot of the hard work on his own.

“At Manchester United, having players of the quality of Rooney, Ronaldo, Giggs, Vidic and Ferdinand to help him will make his life much easier.

“Don’t forget that Tevez is still quite young and has only been in Manchester for a few months.

“It will take him a bit more time to show everyone what he can really do. But he is already a fantastic, world-class talent and at his new club he has every tool required to become a true Argentine great.”

Batistuta, 38, finally retired from football three years ago after scoring 184 Serie A goals during his 12 seasons in Italy with Fiorentina and Roma.

And he admits he envies Tevez’s opportunity of playing in England and believes the striker, 23, could pave the way for more Argentines to move to the Premier League.

Batistuta added: “I’ve always loved the atmosphere of English soccer and often thought of coming here during my career. But when I was at my peak, the Premier League was not of the same standard as it is now.

“Then there were only one or two teams who stood any chance of winning the title and that was not very exciting for me. That is why I always stayed in Italy.

“But now I watch the English league and it has improved so much. Many of the world’s best players are over here now and there are no longer any guarantees that Manchester United or Liverpool will win the title.

“Before, all the Argentines went to Spain or Italy. But with Tevez going so well at Manchester, others might now think about also going to England.”

Batistuta’s admiration for English football is not just limited to the Premier League — and he is saddened to see our national team in such dire straits.

He said: “Argentina and England have been rivals for many years but nobody in my country likes to see England struggling like they are at the moment.

“Argentina, Brazil, England, Italy and Germany. They are the biggest football nations in the world and no major tournament is the same without them.

“It is better to go to a World Cup and play Brazil or England than to face teams who nobody knows.”

Batistuta ended his international career with a 1-0 defeat by Sven Goran Eriksson’s England during the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan.

Even though his country are currently top of the FIFA world rankings, he still has concerns that Argentina’s best young players are not fulfilling their potential.

He added: “The main problem in Argentina is we have fantastic players everywhere in the country but we don’t have the tools to help them succeed at big clubs.

“In a lot of cases they don’t know how to behave when they arrive. A lot of them get to the first division, play some matches and then disappear. Most of the best Argentine players sign for European clubs at a very young age. Lionel Messi was still only a boy when he came to Barcelona.

“In many ways that helps the Argentine team because these players like Messi, Tevez, Mascherano and Riquelme get a better knowledge of tactics and discipline. But the other side of the coin is that the people in Argentina do not get the opportunity to enjoy their talents.

“I think the clubs in Argentina should try to keep their best players for a bit longer.

“But I understand that it is all linked to finances and the best players will always end up with the richest clubs.”

BATISTUTA was speaking at the British launch of World Football Idol, a global search for the best young football prospect.

The competition, open to boys aged 14 and 15, will assess the talents of thousands of young players from England, Argentina, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Six players per country will go forward to the grand final in Argentina on December 29, with a first prize of around £50,000 for the eventual winner.

British heats will be held in Welwyn Garden City on Sunday, November 4. First 500 applicants to register will get their chance to impress the judges.

For further details log on to www. worldfootballidol.com

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