Is Messi missing his chance to prove he is the greatest ever?

Okay! So in regards to the recent failure of Argentina to win the Copa America, Messi has spurned another opportunity to really make his mark on the argument that he is the greatest football player ever. 

First of all, let's just say a few things. number one, perhaps Messi doesn't care if he is the greatest player ever. Number two, this is mainly about the Copa America and not the World Cup. Number 3 Messi can't be solely blamed for a team failing to win and finally, number 4, Messi will still be considered the greatest ever in the eyes of many.

However, here is where it can be questioned. When you watch Messi play, he has a way with the ball which immediately lets you know he is above and beyond those who are playing around him. It's clear to see to anyone while playing for Argentina and Barcelona. The problem is, the greatest footballers are remembered for their legacy and for what they achieved.

No one can take away what he has achieved with Barcelona and he will go down in history for it. But when people utter the question? 'Who is the greatest ever?' the line 'he didn't do it for Argentina' will surely surface. Do they have a point? Well not really, he is their all time top scorer and almost single handedly took them to a world cup final and that should be enough. But it isn't. That's because Pele, Maradonna, Ronaldo (Fat Ronaldo) have won the world cup and so that loss in the final will always taint his history, even though the German team they faced were simply overall a stronger outfit.

I am going to write a separate article on this though as I do think it is interesting as to why the Germans were better. Because the Argentinian team, man for man, were/are world class. 

So Argentina are failing to win major tournaments and they can't argue they're team is not up to scratch. They're goalkeeper is the only weak link, they're defence could be better but I think Demicheles is under rated, Rojo is weak but Mascherano should provide decent enough protection. There is no question they should have beaten Chile (Not to take anything away from Chile who were brilliant on the night). Messi failed to step up on the biggest of occasions in the same way he does for Barcelona. But why?

Well it is difficult to explain, and the answer is somewhat unsatisfying. Barcelona play in a particular style, even though it has changed over the last 10 years, one thing has remained the same. Messi is the main man. While that is still kind of true for Argentina, they're is a difference and that is that Messi has to make himself the main man. They are not a possession football team and they do not make the same runs Barcelona players do and it means Messi has less options when he is on the ball. As good as he is, he can not do whatever he wants whenever he wants. I have discussed in an article about wing backs that Messi has five options when he picks up the ball to make a goal threatening move, with Argentina these do not come around as often because he can not rely on his full backs to join in the way Alba and Alves do or his forwards to make the same runs as Suarez or Neymar do. The fact of the matter is he will find them if they do.

The real crux of the matter is that he got unlucky (thats the disappointing part) He has now got unlucky twice, when a nation relies on him they fail to see the shortcomings of other players and sometimes, sometimes the result just doesn't go your way (every team loses sometimes). In 30 years when the young and unborn talk about the worlds greatest they will not have been able to bare witness to Messi's greatness but only his legacy. A World Cup & Copa America would have made it pretty hard to argue against, no matter what is achieved in the interim. So has he missed his chance. Not by a long shot. He has another World Cup left in him and maybe one more Copa America but  speaking as the neutral, the greatest ever is a matter of opinion. Maybe silverware means nothing to you.