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Back in 2018, former English forward Andy Cole shared his thoughts on why Lionel Messi failed to win silverware with Argentina earlier in his career. The Argentine legend finally found international glory after winning the 2021 and 2024 Copa Americas and the 2022 FIFA World Cup with La Albiceleste.
However, Messi's success with Argentina came after years of struggle to win silverware for his country. At his peak, Leo Messi lost three consecutive finals with Argentina, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 and 2016 editions of the Copa America.
In an interview on the show 'The 32' during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Andy Cole gave his opinion on why Lionel Messi was struggling to find success with Argentina, comparing his performance to rival Cristiano Ronaldo. His comments came after La Albiceleste's 3-0 loss to Croatia in the group stage.
Cole said:
“If you look at Ronaldo and Portugal, he is the best player by far. But they play as a team. If you look at Argentina and Messi, he is the best player by far, but they’re unorganized and they’ve been like that for a few years."
He added:
"They’ve [Argentina] got some fantastic players but for some reason, they are not gelling. Portugal are the opposite. They gel very well and the talisman Ronaldo gets all the goals.”
Argentina eventually bowed out of the 2018 World Cup after a 4-3 defeat to eventual winners France in the Round of 16. Lionel Messi recorded only one goal against Nigeria in the group stage, along with two assists in the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals for Portugal in the tournament, all of which came in the group stage. This included his iconic hat-trick against Spain. However, Portugal also bowed out of the tournament in the Round of 16 after a 2-1 loss to Uruguay.
When Lionel Messi declared his international retirement after 2016 Copa America final
After losing three consecutive finals with Argentina, Lionel Messi temporarily considered taking retirement from international football in a shocking statement. After he missed a crucial penalty for Argentina in the 2016 Copa America final against Chile in MetLife Stadium, Lionel Messi said (via GOAL):
"My thinking right now, and thinking about it in the locker room, I'm done playing with the national team. I tried my hardest. It's been four finals, and I was not able to win. I tried everything possible. It hurts me more than anyone but it is evident that this is not for me. I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen."
Multiple former players, including Diego Maradona, urged him to reconsider. In September 2016, Lionel Messi confirmed his change of heart and said (via GOAL):
"A lot of things went through my mind on the night of the final and I gave serious thought to quitting, but my love for my country and this shirt is too great. I don't want to cause harm, on the contrary, my goal was to help in any way I could."
He added:
"There are many things that need to be fixed in Argentine football. But I prefer to help from the inside rather than stand on the outside and criticize. I want to thank all the fans who wanted me to keep playing for Argentina. I hope we can give them joy very soon."
