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Barcelona legend, Lionel Messi, is arguably the most dominant footballer of the last 10 years. Such is the brilliance of the Argentine that he has won five Ballon d'Or awards, five European Golden Shoes, five Pichichis, as well as other individual accolades.
The playmaker is also one of the most successful superstars in history, winning 4 UEFA Champions League trophies, 9 La Liga titles, and 6 Spanish Cups in a glorious career.
If you take a vivid look at the trophies listed above, however, you will realize that something is still missing. Despite Messi's brilliant achievements, it is quite obvious that the Argentine is yet to win any major trophy for his nation. He represented the country in four different finals but failed to win any of them.
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Messi's failure at international level has been a stubborn stain on his reputation and a serious threat to his fantastic legacies. In fact, his lack of international success is one reason why many do not consider him the greatest player in history.
The play-maker still has the privilege to rewrite that part of his story, though, when the World Cup begins on June 14. After losing in the final of the tournament in 2014, the Argentine will be leading his nation into what could be perhaps his last World Cup tournament in Russia.
With the odds turned against him due to the mediocre performances of his nation, we take a look at 4 reasons why the Argentine could still win the tournament this year.
#4 His incredible form at the moment
While Argentina struggled to impress for the past few months, it was clear that Lionel Messi wasn't struggling. The play-maker was at the best of his game, with a lot of incredible performances for Catalan giants, FC Barcelona.
The Barca maestro was quite unstoppable the last term, tearing opposition defenses apart and scoring almost at will. He bagged an incredible 44 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Barcelona as well as leading the Blaugrana to complete a fantastic domestic double during the campaign.
He also put up some incredible performances for his nation, typically scoring a brilliant hat-trick against Haiti in their last friendly match. With Messi at this level, there is no limit to what he can achieve.
In fact, his incredible form could be enough to lead his nation to the lift the World Cup trophy in Russia next month. He already proved that to us during the qualifiers, scoring a fantastic hat-trick to seal a spot for the Albieleste in the prestigious tournament.
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#3 The presence of a world-class coach
In the summer of 2017, the Argentina Football Association declared Jorge Sampaoli, former Sevilla and Chile coach as the manager of the national team. Following his success at both club and international level in the past few years, the tactician was viewed by many as the man to take the Albiceleste forward.
Diego Maradona and Alejandro Sabella were the last 2 tacticians that led the nation into the World cup tournament. Both managers achieved some level of success in the competition, with Maradona leading the team into the quarterfinals in 2010 and Sabella reaching the final in 2014.
Critical analysis of these managers, though, reveals that none of them belong in the same bracket as Sampaoli. The former Sevilla boss is highly regarded as one of the best tacticians in the world at the moment. He proved his incredible abilities at Universidad de Chile, leading the club to win the Copa Sudamericana in 2012. He also tasted international success with the Chilean national team, leading the South Americans to win the Copa America in 2015.
Ever since he took over at Argentina, Sampaoli has been working hard to rebuild an already-collapsing team and regaining the confidence of both the fans and the players. The manager has built the team around Lionel Messi, with both men establishing a perfect relationship with each other.
The chance to work with a proven world-class manager is another factor that can help Messi to win the World Cup this year.
#2 The presence of amazing superstars
All eyes will be on Messi to lead Argentina to World Cup glory in Russia, however, it is true that the play-maker will not be left alone in the quest to lead his nation to glory.
The Barca maestro will be surrounded by a lot of amazing superstars, who could influence the tournament with their incredible talents. Everyone knows quite well that Argentina have some of the finest footballers in the world. To add to the regular quality in the squad, Sampaoli included the likes of Paulo Dybala, Cristian Pavon, and Giovani Lo Celso into his squad to participate in the World Cup this year.
In players likes of Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain, Nicolas Otamendi, Paulo Dybala and Javier Mascherano, Messi will definitely get the support he needs to win the World Cup trophy in Russia.
#1 Rigid determination
Lionel Messi started his World Cup career by representing Argentina in the tournament in 2006, where they were knocked out in the quarterfinals. He stepped onto the big stage again in 2010 but could only help the Albieleste to reach that stage again.
After a narrow loss in the 2014 World Cup final was followed by a similar humiliation in the 2015 Copa America final, the play-maker decided to put an end to his international career, announcing his retirement from international football on June 27, 2016.
After a lot of pleas, advice and encouragements, the Argentine decided to reverse his decision and resumed his international career. He is back in the World Cup once again with only one thing on his mind - win the tournament.
It is true that Messi is determined more than ever before to clinch the prestigious trophy this year. He recently hinted that the World Cup could be his last competition at international level. With this kind of determination, the play-maker can end up winning the coveted trophy in Russia next month.
