For so long have we got used to sublime goals from Lionel Messi that we forgot that he has only a modest record of taking penalties for Argentina. So when he shot wildly over the bar against Chile in the shootout of the Copa America final, we ought to have remembered that the superstar tends to miss about 20 per cent of his penalties for his country. It's still is a surprise that someone so gifted is less than spectacular with penalties but what shocked us about that missed spot kick was that it triggered Messi's decision to quit international football altogether.
Maybe we ought not be shocked about that either. For the signals were there. Contrary to what people might think, it is probably not the constant comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo that seems to stress Messsi out. In fact, pundits are now convinced that that is no comparison at all. In the runup to the Copa final, Messi had been in resplendent form, while on the other side of the world, Ronaldo was huffing and puffing in the Euro.
So what weighs down the great player then? Could it be the comparison with another all-time great, or the all-time great, Diego Maradona? Could it be the expectations at home to match the deeds of the mercurial Maradona?
If there was one criticism that has dogged Messi throughout his stellar career, it is that he never did for his country what he did for Barcelona. Compare that to Maradona, who single-handedly dragged Napoli to the Scudetto in Italy and even more single-handedly commanded Argentina to the World Cup victory in 1986, aided equally by his sleight of hand and sublime footwork. Had Messi done that?
The clue to Messi's anguished retirement statement is available in one phrase, by which he said, "A lot of people want this." Meaning a national trophy.
Maradona and Messi are both the greatest of their generation, but they are different. Maradona was a natural when it came to leading an entire team. Messi was good at playing a stellar part in a well-orchestrated team like Barcelona. Two great players of two eras. Separated just by that victory for the country. While Messi handled the Ronaldo comparisons with an easy wave of the hand -- "I don't go seeking fame" -- he perhaps was not able to handle the Maradona parallel as well. While the post-Copa retirement was indeed a shocker, there were signs of stress on Messi dating back to the 2010 World Cup, where his manager was, coincidentally, Maradona himself. The team was bundled out in the early knockout phase. The snide whispers that Messi wasn't Argentinian must certainly have hurt and that hurt was allowed to show four years later when Argentina made it to the final of the World Cup in 2014. "P*** 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!" said Messi.
So the man with the glorious skills was indeed needled after all. The penalty miss in the latest Copa was obviously the tipping point. He probably gave up the moment he missed it. He cast his gaze down and didn't bother to see his fellow players taking their penalties.