Copa America Centenario Is Lionel Messi’s Last Great Chance of Argentina Glory

SANTA CLARA, California — Time is running out for Lionel Messi. Although the Barcelona and Argentina star is just 28, the Copa America Centenario represents the last great chance he has to win a trophy with his country.

Messi was just six years old the last time Argentina won a major tournament, with Gabriel Batistuta firing his country to a 2-1 win over Mexico in the 1993 Copa America final.

Watching on in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, 23 years ago, Messi was just a student of the beautiful game. Now he is its greatest exponent.

And yet, despite being the greatest football player of all time, his detractors still snarl that his lack of success on the international stage means he is not deserving of that accolade.

While failure to win a World Cup or Copa America should not taint his personal legend, the frequency with which that argument is spouted wears and tears at him. The pressure he feels playing for his country is extremely clear.

Usually a calm, reserved character, when questioned about it, Messi’s behaviour changes. It is one of the rare occasions where you can catch a glimpse of the stitches that keep the maestro together, whereas usually he’s moving too fast towards new records, new accomplishments and new feats of magic on the pitch to notice anything but a whirlwind.

In December 2015, Messi was asked by TyC Sports about the criticism he and Argentina have received in recent years, despite making it to the World Cup and Copa America finals in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

The Albiceleste lost on both occasions, 1-0 against Germany in Rio de Janeiro after extra-time and on penalties against hosts Chile at last year’s Copa final in Santiago.

Messi was angry at the lack of respect he and his team-mates have been offered by his countrymen, and he hit out, (h/t the Mirror):

It was bad. We got to the final of the World Cup and the Copa America and it was as if we didn’t do anything.

We are still hearing these criticisms, people killing us. P–s off, we got to the World Cup final and the Copa. We didn’t win them but we didn’t lose in the quarter finals.

Sometimes you don’t know if that would be better or worse!

I hear them say that we don’t care about the shirt, that we don’t put our all into it. It’s not about not giving your all.

We’re the first ones that want to win and celebrate.

Messi turns 31 in June 2018, during the Russia World Cup. While there are few doubts he will still be a wonderful player at that point, likely still the best in the world given the intelligence and poise he shows in his game, that will be a far more complicated tournament for Argentina to win than this.

Coach Tata Martino picked a strong squad …

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