Lula jokes he is thinking of 'signing Messi' for Brazil

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva suggested Wednesday that Brazil should hire Argentina's Lionel Messi, when asked about his country's performance in the World Cup so far.

The five-time world champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in their opening match, which highlighted several frailties in their game. 

Brazil's fiercest football rivals Argentina had a far better time, with Messi scoring three goals against Algeria on Tuesday.

"I was thinking about signing Messi to play for Brazil," Lula said, laughing, when journalists asked him about his country's showing at the World Cup.

However, he noted it wasn't a "big deal" for Brazil to draw with Morocco, which he said was its strongest opponent in the group.

"They say that whenever Brazil is heavily doubted, they win the World Cup... let's see."

Brazil faces Haiti on Friday.

All eyes are on Neymar, 34, who was included on the team after a near three-year absence due to a mixture of injuries and poor form. 

Brazil's all-time record scorer took part in his first training session with the team Wednesday after a calf injury last month.

"Did you miss me?" Neymar shouted with a laugh to journalists as joined the team on pitch for some light activity. 

It is unclear when he will debut at the competition.

– TIMES/AFP