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As his final act in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi lifted a free kick over the bar, wasting his home country’s last chance to tie against Germany. This was no good finish for the four-time world player of the year. Much in the same way that the 1986 World Cup belonged to Argentina’s Diego Maradona, this was supposed to be Messi’s World Cup. However, after carrying his team through the group stage with four goals, Messi seemed to have lost his touch. In the final match on Sunday, he had some chances but lacked the finishing touch to turn the game for Argentina. As he collected the trophy for the tournament’s best player in the aftermath of the 1-0 loss, his face screamed disappointment.
While Lionel Messi was strong at the beginning of the World Cup, his strength and power seemed to fade with time.
While Messi has won almost everything there is to win playing with club team Barcelona, many people think a World Cup title is what he needs to be considered one of soccer’s all-time greats. Through the group stage, Messi stood out in a mostly mediocre Argentine team, garnering goals against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria. While his early playing was exceptional, his skill started to wane as the tournament went on. His impact was minimal in the Swiss game until extra time. Against Belgium, he helped Argentina maintain possession of the ball as the Belgians tried to level the score. In semifinal against the Netherlands, however, he struggled to find any space, since Nigel de Jong kept him firmly in his sight. Besides a few runs and skillful passes against Germany, he ultimately didn’t have a very big impact on the final.
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