Lione Messi. Photo: Getty Images

President Luiz Inacio 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.