Dusseldorf - New Argentina coach Diego Maradona has an ambitious plan for his side: he wants to win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"That is the issue, is it not? If that is not my goal, then I might as well have stayed at home and spent some time watching television," he was quoted in Saturday's issue of the Cologne-based newspaper Express.

Maradona captained Argentina to their last World Cup triumph in 1986, when the South Americans beat Germany 3-2 in the final.

Maradona is currently on a Europe trip to meet with European-based Argentine players.

He visited Bayern Munich players Martin Demichelis and Jose Ernesto Sosa in Germany and then flew to England to meet with Manchester United's Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from Liverpool.

"I have big plans and want the players to know that they can depend on me," said Maradona.

"I not only want my players to play good football. I also want them to feel the way I wanted to feel as a player: Loved, safe and secure and with an open ear." (dpa)