Palermo even compared Maradona's humble roots in growing up in a Buenos Aires slum to Messi's youth, which was spent playing for Barcelona.
"Messi isn't Maradona," Palermo said today on America TV.
"To me, Messi does not have Maradona's mentality. He's not prepared to carry the team.
"He (Messi) is not one to take the role of leader. He won't do it because he's not used to this position. He grew up in another way, he's lived differently. He's been with Barcelona since he was 12."
Messi, Fifa's reigning player of the year, has never shown the same form with the Argentine national team as for Barcelona. At the recent World Cup in South Africa, he failed to score a goal.
Critics have suggested Maradona had Messi playing out of position, forcing him to drop into midfield to get the ball instead of receiving it near the box.
Germany humiliated Argentina 4-0 in the World Cup quarterfinals, and Maradona left the team several weeks later after the Argentine Football Association declined to renew his contract as coach.
The 36-year-old Palermo was one of six strikers in Argentina's squad at the World Cup, but played only 13 minutes in South Africa and is unlikely to have a future with the national team no matter who takes over the reins.
