Argentina striker Lionel Messi insists England will be one of the top teams to watch out for at the World Cup. The Barcelona maestro plys his trade in Spain’s Primera Liga, but reckons the strength of the Premier League could put England among the leading contenders to succeed in South Africa.

Spain and Brazil are favourites with many people to win the tournament, but the 22-year-old forward puts Fabio Capello’s side in the same category.

“I think that right now, the strongest sides going into the World Cup are Spain, England and Brazil,” he told CNN International. “They had a strong, easy qualifying and are very tough.”

Messi was coy about his own side’s chances, despite a strike force that boasts Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Diego Milito. “Hopefully, it will be my World Cup, Argentina’s World Cup and that we hit the ground running and play up to people’s expectations and win the World Cup,” he said.

Messi has had another stellar season with Barcelona, winning another Primera Division title under Pep Guardiola and playing at a consistently high level which has seen him hailed as one of the greatest players in history.

There is still a feeling in Argentina, however, that he does not reproduce that form at international level. “People have an opinion and I respect it,” he said. “I’m the first person who wants to do well with my national team and perform like I do with Barcelona. “I know that this is a really good opportunity for me and I’m going to try to do it.”

Lionel Messi doesn’t feel any pressure to deliver for Argentina at the World Cup, with the world player of the year saying he won’t change his Barcelona playing style to suit his country.

Four years on from watching Argentina lose to Germany in the quarterfinals, Messi is a very different player from the 18-year-old who watched from the bench in Berlin that June afternoon. This time around, Messi heads to the tournament in South Africa having won a string of personal honors and titles with Barcelona, largely due to his extraordinary playmaking and scoring prowess.

”I don’t feel the pressure,” Messi told the Associated Press in a recent interview. ”The truth is I’m arriving in good shape. I have a strong desire to do as well as I can, as do my teammates. We want to give our best for Argentina and we hope things turn out well.”

Coach Diego Maradona has yet to capture Messi’s best, with the forward’s performances for Barcelona seemingly on a different plane to his international displays. ”I won’t change. I’ll keep playing in the same way,” Messi said. ”I hope to be able to do what I do (in Barcelona) in the national team without my form suffering, because that (way of playing) is what has made me able to achieve everything I have (up until now).”

Up until now, Maradona has opted to select Messi in a free role behind the two strikers, but the Argentina coach has an array of attacking talent in Diego Milito, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero at his disposal. Argentina routed Canada 5-0 on Monday in its last friendly before the finals, with Maradona’s tactics offering little intent on trying to replicate Barcelona’s Ajax-inspired formation with suitable players.

”I don’t know. It’s Diego’s decision,” said Messi, who spoke to the AP at the launch of his new Adidas football boot. ”But I think Argentina is fortunate to have many top-quality forwards. That has been proven in this last year because if you look at all the important leagues, there is an Argentine there at the top. ”We are approaching the World Cup on very good form and that’s great news. Let’s hope we can do things well and that we can become champions with Argentina and lift the cup,” he said. ”There is no doubt that winning a World Cup would be something unforgettable for the country, for me and for everybody.

”I have also won everything individually and now I would like to do the same with Argentina.” Messi calls playing for icon Maradona ”very special,” but he is quick to dismiss the comparisons that have arisen following his breathtaking displays this season. ”It bothers me for him more than it does for me,” Messi said. But Maradona’s greatness will long remain and the Argentina coach has said he hopes Messi can outshine him this summer. ”That’s impossible,” Messi said. ”But let’s hope Argentina can be champion.”