Lionel Messi feels the burden, the pain of playing for Argentina

It was during the national anthem before this second match, and that said a lot. As television cameras sped along the line, half of the modern football maestros were massaging their foreheads and sighing deeply with the kind of painful expression that you expect from a private Wall Street executive. caffeine.

Do not even think of suggesting Messi lack of love for his homeland or the pride of being the captain and the talisman for his national football team. This is not the case, but the truth is that he does not like playing a lot for Argentina because it does not cause him anything except pain.

He felt the burden of being crowned national treasure at a young age and still bears the brunt of his country's World Cup hopes – no, demands – as much as he has ever done. This is a payload that gets heavier every year that passes, every new disappointment or opportunity missed.

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This last chance only holds for one thread, with Argentina taking just one point after two matches and having to beat Nigeria in St. Petersburg on Tuesday to have a chance to qualify for the eighths final.

If Messi feels stress at club level with Barcelona, ​​he does an exquisite job hiding it. The oldest cliché of football, a phrase so much appreciated by coaches all over the world, is to take one game at a time. Still, that's what he's doing there, just passing from one challenge to the other, shaking virtuosic performances with such regularity that we're getting spoiled and disappointed by everything what he does that is simply "very good" rather than "pious".

It's easier to play with that kind of freedom when you've accomplished everything, and there's no checkboxes for Messi at Barça, where he has repeatedly won all that was worth winning. , while reaping an individual hug.

However, on the international scene, his cabinet is empty. It felt like the 2014 World Cup was his time, but he underperformed in the final and Germany survived Argentina in a battle of wills.

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Even in the South American continental competition, Argentina did not win a Copa America title at the time of Messi. He came closest in 2016 when he lost on penalties in the final, Messi missed his shootout kick, and then quickly retired from the national team. before reconsidering later.

He does not talk much, this more shy football superstars, but always says the right things about what he wants from his time wearing blue and white.

"It means a lot because for Argentina, the World Cup is special – and for me too," said Messi. "I've always dreamed of seeing me win the World Cup, and then see the emotion that goes with it.

"My hair stands just thinking about that moment, I would not want to retire from active football without being a world champion with my country."

But unless Messi's own performances improve, it's the exact fate that lies ahead. He will be 35 years old when the world football show will roll again, and may no longer be a dominant force to the same extent. Cristiano Ronaldo makes some noise about being back in four years, but new stars will surely sting these two elites from here to here.

And even though Messi claims that he wants that, he is not doing his job well in this tournament. His body language is horrible, and he rubs off on his teammates. Last weekend, the Argentine media reported a mutiny of players against head coach Jorge Sampaoli that would mean that members of the senior team – and not Sampaoli – will choose the same. Match for the match against Nigeria.

But what if it is not the man on the sidelines, but Messi himself, who is the root of the current problems of Argentina? He did not lose his ability to perform magic with the ball, but he also did not show much physical desperation.

According to the Guardian, in the first match against Iceland, Messi covered less than a mile of turf while he was not in possession of the ball, an incredibly low amount for a field player and, indeed, less than two goalies.

Such figures are not true barometers of greatness, but with the passing of time for Messi, consider this. The football wizards produce their tricks when the chips are dropped, the real big ones increase when we count them. That is the task of Messi now, and if he manages it, who knows, he might even start to have fun.