Maradona revealed on Tuesday night he is ready to accept an offer made by Grondona, and all that remains is for the deal to be rubber-stamped at a meeting of the Argentinian Football Association's executive committee next Tuesday.

Maradona, who turns 48 on Thursday, will take charge of the national team, while the man who coached him to success at the 1986 World Cup, Carlos Bilardo, is to work alongside him as a general manager.

"Since 1979, I've been looking forward to having Maradona as coach of the national team," Grondona told Radio La Red on Wednesday. "Maradona marked a turning point in Argentinian football."

Maradona has just half a year of coaching experience - having taken charge of Deportivo Mandiyu for two months in 1994 and Racing Club for four months in 1995 - but even though Bilardo is far more experienced, Grondona insisted Maradona will have control of the team.

"Maradona is the number one," he said. "Bilardo will be the director of national teams. He will be in charge of making everything work properly.

"Putting two heavyweight men together is not easy, but we are trying to find excellence. We have tried to solve personal differences thinking about the national team."

Argentina had been without a coach since Alfio Basile resigned on October 16.

Carlos Bianchi was heavily linked with the role, but Grondona revealed he was never interviewed.

"I didn't even think about him because we had a different plan," he said.

Maradona's appointment has already received the backing of Barcelona ace Lionel Messi, who insisted his lack of experience was not an issue.

"It's not a problem," said Messi in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He is a great one and I admire him for what he has given Argentinian football."

Maradona will face the challenge of helping Argentina improve their form, having won just one of their last seven World Cup qualifiers to lie third in the South American Zone.

Despite their recent struggles, Messi believes Argentina have a great future ahead following their Olympic success in Beijing this summer.

"I am optimistic," he said. "The generation that won the Olympics is arriving.

"(At the World Cup) in 2006, if we had been more fortunate in the quarter-final against Germany, we would have won the title."