The Argentina captain has more than proven his unmatched status in football with an outstanding tournament in Qatar.
Lionel Messi's mind was racing as he sat in MetLife Stadium on the night of June 26, 2016.
He had just missed the opening penalty in Argentina's shootout loss to Chile in the final of the Copa America.
It was a third consecutive defeat in a major international tournament decider for Messi, and a fourth overall.
He felt doomed, destined to disappoint in an Argentina jersey. Sergio Aguero had never seen his close friend so upset.
Messi knew how this latest loss would be portrayed: as proof that he simply couldn't deliver for Argentina; that he would never match Maradona; that he played better for Barcelona; and worse again, that he cared more about the Catalan club than his own country.