Lionel Messi is without a doubt one of the best, if not the best, player in modern football, but he never seems to manage to transition his magnificent magic into Argentina. Why is this?
Some people say it is because he needs great players to make him great, but can you get any better than Sergio Aguero and him up front?
Assuming Messi does need good players around him to make him great, why can’t he succeed in Argentina’s national football team? They may not be the best team in the world, but they’re certainly good enough to at least make it to the semi-finals of the Copa America, and you would think they’d be able to challenge Brazil, who seems to be the best team in South America at the moment.
Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi has been one of the biggest rivalries football has ever seen. The beautiful game has been blessed to be able to see two of the best footballers in history play in the same league against each other consistently.
(Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
As for the national team debate, Cristiano Ronaldo has won that easily. His UEFA Nations League medal was recently added to his UEFA European Championship medal, making it two-nil to Ronaldo. The Portugal team that won the Nations League was an exceptional team full of bright young stars and of course Cristiano Ronaldo, but the team that beat France in 2015? I would say they were worse than the team that Argentina fielded up against Colombia in the Copa America first round.
Then why can’t Messi find his grove in the national team? Is it due to the coaching? Maybe. Is it due to the style? Probably not. They have built a team around Messi. Is it due to the team as a whole? Probably not. But could it be due to the individual players? Yes.
At Barcelona, everyone knows Messi is the best. His teammates speak about it consistently and it is obvious he has a massive influence on the pitch, as big as Johan Cruyff did when he was playing for Barcelona between 1973 and 1978. But what about off the pitch? Obviously Cruyff became Barcelona’s manager in 1988 and his influence was phenomenal, forming the style that Barcelona uses today. But what about Messi?
It is known Messi has put in transfer requests in the past, asking for Sergio Aguero to join and asking for Neymar back, and they have been made public. But how many have been made behind the scenes? The difference between national team football and club football is that in national football you can pick only from a certain bracket of players with your nation’s citizenship. Club football allows a free range of selections.
For example, when Neymar and Luis Suarez arrived they formed an amazing three-way partnership, and when they managed to string a few games together – after Neymar and Suarez’s injuries kept them from playing together – they struck an amazing collaboration. But they always looked up to Messi and seemed to fit into Messi’s style perfectly. Coincidence?
I am not saying that Messi is in charge of Barcelona or that he is trying to take over; I’m just suggesting a different reason as to why he lacks success with a perfectly decent Argentina. He has a massive reputation and impact on Barcelona.
There is no doubt that Lionel Messi is a great player, but he has played for only one club throughout his entire professional career, and Argentina has exposed him as potentially needing a certain kind of player or players to make him amazing.
Is Lionel Messi really as good as we think?
The Leichhardt Times
Roar Rookie
This is absolutely disgraceful... Jackson, you should be disgusted with your self. Stick to Fifa Street... JK this is pretty epic
Jack George
Roar Guru
First of all, I am sorry if the feeling I implied on you made all those players mentioned to be bad. He didn't carry his team in the Euro final, but he was a big help and I doubt they would have gotten there without him. But I'm not going to start an argument, as I seem have touched on a topic that you feel very deeply about.
Jack George
Roar Guru
But when people question whether he is human, he always has players around him that can help him, in the Argentina team everyone seems to be doing it for himself.
Jack George
Roar Guru
No, I don't think it was a perfectly good Argentina and it isn't. He has definitely has carried the Argentinian national team over the time he has been there and would benefit from a better team.
Jack George
Roar Guru
I am sorry about the disrespect directed to Messi. I was just trying to come up with a new idea for an article that didn't feature the A-League and after recreationally watching their 2-0 loss against Colombia, I decided to question his greatness. I now realise that it was only one game, and after also watching their 1-1 draw to Paraguay I see how poor this Argentina team is. I have now changed my mind, and I won't be questioning his greatness anytime soon.
Jack George
Roar Guru
But would you say Maradona's shoes have been too big to fill?
Jack George
Roar Guru
I agree, and he is a magical player and me, being a Messi fan, after writing this article and reading the comments still think he is the best in the world. As I said above, I apologise for any disrespect that could be directed to Messi, he is a true legend of our beautiful game.
John Nkurunziza
Guest
Messi has an average Argentina they can play quick tempo and transition from defence to midfield well. This (current) side show a lack of mentality or identity. I am gonna first state l don’t blame Messi for how poor Argentina are on the final third anyone can concede 4 to France l mean look at Croatia in that final. Any one can concede two to Colombia. There is and l repeat no defence in the entire world that is immune to conceding goals l don’t think the problem is the defence as many make it seem l don’t think the problem is the attackers l think the problem is a lack of Let me get to the point l think Messi has under achieved for Argentina plain and simple for the stature he carries anyone would have predicted at least 2 Copa americas at the least but none are to be found. As much as luck weighs in it’s only a necessity that luck falls the other way by no means do Chile have the right to beat them twice in a row while the G.O.A.T is on the pitch the entire ‘match’. Please don’t blame higuien for Messi’s in ability to take them over the line himself or in other words be the (goal scorer) so what if higuien misses. You get up and go again chances come and go that’s football. One on ones aren’t guarantees any fottballer knows that.let me get to the point For example Portugal at the World Cup concedes three times against one of the favourites Spain did he blame he’s average teammates for not scoring? Did he silk on the pitch in frustration? He understood If any one were to do it it simply was him and boy did he show up equalising three times and yes one was a pen the other was an error. Nevertheless he scored 3. In the ueros 2016 against Hungary Portugal needing a saviour in their last and crucial GG who showed up with 2 goals from setting one up Ronaldo!. He doesn’t blame he’s teamates or target a specific part of he’s team he gets on with it with all he has and boy does he have a lot. The end end of the international discussion.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Not sure why Lionel Messi would need to move to an inferior league like the EPL to prove himself, but he's certainly the best player I've ever seen in my lifetime... and I'm not young.
jupiter53
Roar Pro
Having seen both the 1986 and 2014 tournaments [on TV of course] I think you underestimate how effective the rest of Argentina's 1986 team was . I think they were a significantly stronger outfit than the team that Messi dragged to the final in 2014. And if Higuain hadn't butchered that early chance against Germany we may well have been raving about World Cup winner Messi. Trying to judge an individual player by looking at what he has won with teams does not make sense. To take an absurd example, do you judge Roy Krishna by what he has won with Fiji? I am just glad to have been able to see Maradona then, and Messi now - both amazing.
MarkfromCroydon
Roar Pro
During Messi's national team career, he has played alongside midfield and defensive players such as Zanetti, Zabaleta, Mascherano, Otamendi, Demichelis, Rojo etc. ie. in other words, players that have been some of the top players in the Premier League or top European leagues. The list of good players he's played with goes on and on. Riquelme, Tevez, Di Maria, Aguero etc. If you look back at Maradona's teams, he also had some great players around him, Ruggeri, Passarella, Kempes, Valdano, Caniggia, Batistut, but I don't think man for man he ever had the same support around him as Messi does. Maradona virtually won the World Cup for the team in 86. The problem for Messi is that he has not been able to do what El Pibe de Oro did.
hamza
Guest
I think asking this sort of a question of a guy who can single handedly drive through some of the world best teams to score some of the most amazing goals ever seen in football history is lame and disrespectful.To start with,argentina midfield and defence is crap...
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Messi is better than we think.
KevinH
Roar Rookie
That's it. Who the hell cares how "good" Lo Celso and Paredes were at keeping the ball and passing the ball. They were so good that when Messi dropped deep and tried to pass the ball to them they just simply gave it to the other side. Maybe you expected Messi to drop deep, take the ball and dribble through 2 or 3 1m9 players and score? Hmm, that's fair.
KevinH
Roar Rookie
So Messi was quiet in World Cup final and Ronaldo shone so bright in Euro final which he played 25 minutes and Nation League final which we just pretend a player named Bernando Silva never existed and that ball automatically got passed through Van Dijk to Goncalo Gueses, or maybe we just pretend that it was Ronaldo who passed the ball, or Ronaldo who took the shot, yeah who would give damn who Guedes was, good job Cristy. How formidable Ronaldo was against Van Dijk and De Ligt, wasnt he?
KevinH
Roar Rookie
Ronaldo won Euro with only one victory within 90 minutes, then a thing called UEFA Nation League which was the firsr edition of a 4-team tournament, yes, four-team, and that is not to mention a lot of big teams in Europe did not take this tournament seriously. Now you say the Arg squad defeated by Col was worse than Por that won the 4-team league, then excuse me, in terms of what? Have you seen how the Argentinian played? Have you seen how they got stuck in figuring out a way to play with Messi, just how to move so that Messi can pass the ball to them properly without having to attempting to dribble through some 1m9 players on the other side who were very willing and happy to tackle him everytime he got the ball? It wasnt even fair. So definitely not in terms of chemistry, and names? You only looked at Messi, Aguero and Di Maria then decided that this squad was more famous than Por XI? Then compare Armani with Rui Patricio. Compare Pezzella with Pepe, or Guido Martinez with Bruno Fernandes or William Carvalho. Then tell me sincerely, do you really think some unknown player playing in some unknown leagues in Mexico or Argentina were of better quality than a player wanted by Pep Guardiola? Messi doesnt deliver for Argentina, perhaps, buf remember he won a World Cup golden ball playing with those trashy players, and so far Messi still the best goalscorer for his national team. And you say as if Ronaldo "carried" his team to the Euro or Nation League, then I asked you again did you watch them play? Or have you ever? Ronaldo must have been able to carry his team with only 25 minutes in that final right? Or he would still have won Nation League without the help of MVP Bernando Silva. And after all just dump all the credit of the defensive tactics of Fernando Santos and let's just forget how helpless Ronaldo was back in 2014 trying to play like Brazil. I'm so sick of those keeping speaking like Ronaldo doesnt need good players around him. Yes he never needed Paul Scholes he never needed Wayne Rooney the best version of himself he never needed Luka Modric or Toni Kroos and Ronaldo never needed Bernando Silva and Rui Patricio. Or maybe Ronaldo just needs "bad players" like that around him should I say?
Punter
Roar Rookie
Yeah Croatia were easybeats, just like they were when they made WC final 2 years later!!!!
Grinch
Guest
Cristiano is nowhere close to a more complete player? How can that even be argued? He is a goalscorer. Thats it.
Grinch
Guest
How are the Euro's harder than the Copa America? The best team Portugal has faced was against France and that was in the final WITHOUT Cristiano.
Grinch
Guest
Im just wondering what the writer think this is a perfectly good Argentina. All one has to do is see how Argentina have fared without Messi. Messi played roughly 50% of the WC qualifiers. Argentina would have been last place in Conmebol without Messi. All the numbers and a simple eye test also show how toothless Argentina are without Leo. Its not really hard to figure out. Argentina couldnt even make it out of their own half against Colombia for the first 45 minutes. Messi is tasked with beating traps, linking the defense and forward lines, creating the chances, beating defenders, assisting his teammates and scoring. It beggars belief how he carried this team to 3 finals over the years and qualified them to the WC in the first place.