Rafa:"It's Argentina, so what?"

Mexico's most decorated player Rafael Marquez, with four Spanish league titles and two Champions Leage winners medals, took a dig at the fatalism and pessimism of Mexico and Mexicans before the game against Argentina and declared that the team is ready to win.

"Mexico has to change its mentaily if it's to grow as a country," said Marquez, visibly getting a little worked up in a pre-game press conference.

"There's always pessimism," continued the Barcelona player likely to move on after the World Cup. "Sometimes we don't have the credibility, we can't count on that advantage other countries have. We are doing all we can, we give everything we have to bring joy to the Mexican people."

The comments divided opinion on late night football talk shows. Some pundits think the comments an unecessary diversion before such a massive game, while others believe Marquez is 100 percent right.

A proven winner, Marquez has never captured the Mexican public like peers Cuauhtemoc Blanco. The common suggestion is that he doesn't give his all for Mexico, especially during qualifers and has previously got sent off on purpose in certain games, people say. The slight Spanish accent some say he has picked up belies his small-town Michoacan roots and has been mocked in Mexico.

Of course, there has been no better Mexican player than Marquez over the last ten years and he's done won things in Europe that only Hugo Sanchez can claim to rival.

If people still need evidence of how important Marquez is to Mexico, look no further than this World Cup. Marquez scored the vital equaliser against South Africa, set up the opener against France with an excellent pass and has generally been excellent playing in midfield. Testament to his continued influence is how important Marquez will be against Argentina in stemming their attack. Without Marquez, how much would Mexico's probability of winning be reduced?

What's more, Marquez is right. A change of mentality is needed. Argentina are good but far from invincible. Si se puede but the team has to genuinely believe it.