#11 2014 World Cup: So near and yet so far
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Messi entered the competition after an injury-plagued season and doubts were raised over his form. He answered all the critics in style as he bagged four consecutive man of the match awards with stellar performances.
After a comfortable 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first match, he scored an injury-time winner from 23 yards out against Iran to seal Argentina’s qualification to the knockout stages. Messi’s performance relatively declined through the knockout fixtures, but was enough to take Argentina to the finals of the World Cup.
In what was a hard-fought final, Germany got the better of Argentina as Mario Gotze’s strike went past Sergio Romero in the 113th minute and Germany were declared the World Champions.
Messi was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament, with four goals and an assist to his name. He had also created the most number of chances during the tournament. However, his disappointment of losing the final showed as he reportedly admitted that he would trade his Ballon d’Ors for World Cup glory.
#12 2015 Copa America: Another heartbreak
After finishing as the runners-up at the World Cup, Argentina were strong contenders to win the Copa America. Topping the group, Argentina faced Colombia in the quarterfinal. After the match ended in an extra-time draw, Argentina won it 5-4 on penalties.
Messi returned to top form for the finals as Argentina broke down Paraguay’s defence and went on to win 6-1, with Messi excelling as a playmaker providing three assists.
Argentina started the final as the favourites to beat the hosts Chile. In the tense fixture, both the teams failed to score and the match went to penalties. The odds were still in favour of Argentina but to Messi’s horror, both Gonzalo Higuain and Ever Banega failed to convert their spot-kicks and Chile went on to win the tournament for the first time. This was Messi’s second consecutive and third overall defeat in a major international final.
