World’s best footballer, Lionel Messi is not a happy man right now, and it has to do with football. While so many footballers would give a lifetime to be at the pedestal Messi is held, Messi feels he lacks something many average footballers have gotten easily – a title win for his country on the senior level.
On Sunday, he was meant to finally add that to his most enviable list of football achievements, but that was not to be, as like a jinxed person, he missed a penalty kick and his country lost once more to Chile by 4 goals to 2.
‘It happened to us again,’ he told Argentine television. His agony could be felt. He may be the world’s best player at the moment, but he is somehow unable to translate his superlative club form to win a title for his national team.
It has been a long frustrating journey of near misses at championship finals for the Ballon Dór veteran. Messi and the Albiceleste fell 3-0 to Brazil in the 2007 Copa America competition. Then they fell 1-0 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final. And last year, Chile beat them 4-1 on penalties in the Copa America final last June.
It is in this light that Lionel Messi has decided to hang up his boots for country. But it is still too early to conclude that he cannot be convinced to try one more time.
After all, he won the Nigeria 99 World Football Youth Championship for his country as a teenager.
For where?
Messi has an unfinished business with Argentina