Messi leaves the World Cup blank

“I feel like Ali knocked me out”Maradona said after the hecatomb of Argentina against Germany, in the World Cup quarterfinals. The technician went through the press room forced by FIFA to explain the 4-0 with which the Germans alighted to Albiceleste. It was a real embarrassment. The goals of Müller, Friedrich and Klose, twice, left the Argentines out already Messi, in what was supposed to be his World Cup.

At 23, after winning the Ballon d'Or just a few months before, the crack of Barça once again reflected his helplessness with the national team. Four years earlier, in this same game but with the Germans as hosts of his World Cup, the criticism was for Pékerman for not removing him in overtime of the key match, which left them out on penalties. This time Messi was not spared.

its party was very discreet, like all his World Cup. In fact, he left without scoring a goal and crying on the grass of the Cape Town stadium, an image that immediately went around the world. “Whoever says that Leo does not feel the Argentina shirt is stupid”Maradona defended him. But by then there was already talk throughout the country of the deference between Barça's Messi and Argentina's. Comparisons with Maradona, especially with him Maradona's character, were already very frequent.

Messi could not overcome all that, despite being surrounded by good players. A few days toBefore the meeting it was doubt for your participation in the shock from a flu process. There was talk that his poor performance in previous games was due to some discomfort in the knee that dragged since the end of the season.

The oversize that occurs in soccer in Argentina did not help him either: hours and hours of programs were made analyzing their performance in detail, they were written rink on your fitness, the role of Messi was raised to that of savior of all a country beset due to economic and social problems, an Argentina that needed a hero. But that hero was not Messi …