Buenos Aires: An Argentine football club has recreated the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling of its gymnasium, with Diego Maradona as God, Lionel Messi as Adam and a host of angels that include Mario Kempes, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Batistuta.

The mural at Club Sportivo Pereyra in Buenos Aires cost around $20,000 and was inspired by the famous Michelangelo mural in the Vatican. The Argentina version was paid for by donations and is designed to both honour previous generations of Argentine footballers and inspire their heirs. Children play at the club for free and the club president said he hopes they can draw inspiration from seeing their heroes looking down on them.

"We were all kids and the ones that loved football wanted to be like our idols," Sebastian Garcia said. "When a move doesn't come off you look to the heavens, and when you ask God for a helping hand you have so many of them to choose from on this ceiling."

Maradona, whose inspired performances helped Argentina to win the 1986 World Cup, is considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time and is often referred to as El Dios - the God - in his homeland.

He famously dubbed his handball goal against England in 1986 as "the Hand of God."

Messi, meanwhile, has won the Ballon d'Or world player of the year award five times and has picked up countless trophies with La Liga side Barcelona.

However, he has yet to win a title with Argentina, something he aims to resolve at the World Cup in Russia this year.

Argentina will play Haiti in a World Cup warm-up match on May 29 at Boca Juniors' ground, the Argentine Football Association said on Tuesday.

The game will be their last in Argentina before heading across the Atlantic, where they face Israel in a friendly on June 9 before beginning their World Cup campaign in Russia on June 16.

Argentina have been drawn in Group D with Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria.

Haiti are ranked 108th in the world, 103 places behind the twice World Cup winners.

Meanwhile, Some 3000 Argentina fans are set to be banned from attending their country's World Cup matches in Russia, according to reports, as fans with previous records of bad behaviour have been placed on a watchlist.

Argentina football officials announced on Tuesday that an agreement with their Russian counterparts is set to be signed, which will prevent the unruly fans, including members of the barras bravas group, from entering any stadia in June. "A list of 400 names of Argentines who will not be able to enter stadiums was handed over and it is estimated that the definitive database we send will have around 3000 names," Guillermo Madero, the national director of security at Argentine football matches, said.