The curious case of missing World Cup in Messi's cabinet
What's the story
There is no doubt that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time. His five Ballon d'Or titles are a testament to his prowess. Despite winning everything for his club Barcelona, glory at the international level continues to elude the little magician. This year, all eyes will be on Messi to see if he can win the World Cup for Argentina.
Eyes on the WC
Lionel Messi told to play less football by Argentina's chief
Keeping the World Cup in mind, the President of Argentina's national football association, Claudio Tapia had a word with Leo and asked him to play fewer games with Barcelona to stay fatigue-free. Messi will be captaining his national side in 2018 World Cup. But his plea has gone unheeded, as Messi has started 33 out of Barcelona's 39 games this season.
Mercurial
Pressure mounts on Messi as World Cup draws near
Messi is currently the top scorer in this season of La Liga with 20 goals. Barcelona are 7 points clear at top of the La Liga table and are 17 points ahead of Real Madrid. Argentina are hoping that Barcelona could wrap up the title race with a few games to spare, so that their captain is given a break before heading to Russia.
Quote
Tapia's statement about Messi taking care of himself
4th time lucky?
Messi's jinx with Argentina
Argentina captain, Lionel Messi has been unlucky three times after losing three back to back finals. Argentina finished runners-up in the 2014 World cup and also lost two Copa America finals after that. The frustration of losing 3 finals also forced Messi to retire from international football, however, he returned to secure Argentina's place in the 2018 World Cup.