Argentina’s stuttering start to the Copa America in Brazil has drawn stern criticism from the nation’s greatest-ever player, with Diego Maradona launching an expletive-laden rant at the team following their defeat to Colombia.

Maradona watched his fellow countrymen crash to a 2-0 defeat, as two goals in the final 19 minutes of the match sealed an opening match defeat in Group B of the tournament.

Despite being blessed with world-class players for the last four decades, Argentina has not won a major tournament since 1993, with the current crop of stars, including Lionel Messi, coming under fire for failing to consistently translate their excellent club form to the international stage.

And following Argentina’s loss to Colombia on Saturday, Maradona made clear his frustrations as he fired a verbal tirade directly at the current squad.

“It makes you think Tonga could beat us,” a frustrated Maradona said.

“There’s a prestige that we built with kicks… from blows.

“Remember when we all went out to Peru, when we broke the bus… What’s left of all that? What is the shirt?

“You’re offending the shirt, your mother’s ****.”

Maradona recently departed his role as coach of Mexican side Dorados for medical reasons and has returned to his home in Buenos Aires.

And it’s clear that while he has stepped away from the stresses of day-to-day club management, watching the national team he led to World Cup glory in 1986 is proving every bit as stressful.