The World Cup has been an absolute disaster for Leo Messi and Argentina thus far.Jorge Sampaoli's side were held to a 1-1 drew by Iceland in their opening group game and it got a whole lot worse when they faced Croatia on Thursday night.Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic all scored second-half goals in a crushing 3-0 defeat for Messi's Argentina."We were excellent," said Croatian boss Zlatko Dalic, as per The National. "We have to be happy because we have done a lot of good things."We have emerged from the group after two games and we have beaten a strong Argentinian side with the best player in the world.“But we have to pray to God that we don’t go over the top. We have to be disciplined and I want my 22nd player to be as hungry as my first player to achieve victory.”Argentina must now beat Nigeria in their final group game to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.
Why Messi isn't to blame
Messi, 31, is still yet to win an international trophy with Argentina - and the Barcelona legend appears highly unlikely to end his barren run this summer.
A short montage, featuring clips from Argentina v Croatia, has been shared on Twitter which highlights why the finger of blame should not be pointed at Messi.
Sunday League stuff - Maximiliano Meza should be dropped for that corner alone.
Argentina have so much world class talent at their disposal but they have been absolutely horrendous in Russia.
Following the 3-0 defeat, Sampaoli told reporters that Messi's brilliance is "clouded" by his Argentina teammates.
“I think that because of the reality of the Argentine squad, it sort of clouds Leo’s brilliance,” he said, as per the Daily Mail.
“Leo is limited because the team doesn’t gel ideally with him as it should."
"As coaches we need to realise these things and try to deal with them. I’m the one that needs to accept it.”
Former Argentina teammate Pablo Zabaleta believes Messi may retire from international football after the World Cup.
“I just feel so sorry for Lionel Messi,” Zabaleta told the BBC.
“This was his last chance to win something with Argentina - so I wouldn't be surprised to see him retire from international football after this."
Will Messi call it a day when they're eliminated? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.