Argentina striker Carlos Tevez has said that his international teammate Lionel Messi does not deserve to be criticised.

The Barcelona star came under fire for his displays at the recent Copa America, where his country lost in the final to Chile.

He has also received criticism at club level when playing for Barcelona, and Tevez has spoken out about journalists who have questioned his character.

"If I were Messi and had to listen to the criticism he has had, I'd have told Argentina to go to hell," Tevez told television station America. "He has to really love the Argentina shirt to keep coming back.

"You can criticise a player who didn't play well or who wasn't fit for a match but you can't say he doesn't step up or say awful things outside of football about him as they have, you just can't.

"As a journalist, you have to give a message each day. You can be in agreement or not, you can like a player or not like him, but you can't kill him like that."

Messi will return to action on Sunday when Barcelona travel to Athletic Bilbao in their opening match of the La Liga season.