One of Argentina’s greatest ever players, for too long, the weight of expectation on Messi’s shoulders to have a Maradona 2.0 effect on the national team’s fortunes seem to have weighed him down.
One of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, his time with the Albiceleste has been one of the occasional highs and terrible lows with the humiliation by a Luka Modric-inspired Croatia in the latest episode.
For too long, the Barcelona legend has been maligned by certain portions of the Argentine press/fan base and been falsely accused of not turning up for his country (a lie that his stats put to shame).
In hindsight, he should have stuck to his guns and stayed away from the national set-up following the Copa America Centenario debacle but his desire to prove his doubters wrong overrode what was a very logical decision.
His missed penalty against Iceland was the low point of what has been a miserable campaign for the Argentine where he has looked slow, not affected play as much as he can and has been man marked at every point in time.
His time with the Albiceleste has seen him play in some of the worst tactical set-ups in the history of international football.
Surrounded by inept teammates, dull-witted coaches and with the added pressure of the team’s captaincy, he may have hit 64 goals in 124 matches (he is Argentina’s leading all-time goalscorer) but it is one that will go down as disappointing for a player of his quality.
Paulo Dybala looks primed to fill the role (he too has struggled with the tag of the new Messi), it would be in Leo’s best interest to leave the incompetence of the Argentine national set-up behind whatever the naysayers may believe.