Lionel Messi will hope to win his first international trophy at Copa America 2021 this summer.

It's well documented that the Barcelona superstar - who is considered by many to be the finest footballer in history - has never won a major honour with his beloved Argentina.

It's an unfortunate void in his trophy cabinet that many supporters think he needs to overcome in order to be viewed as the greatest the sport has ever seen.

Messi's international heartbreak

Besides, the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, Franz Beckenbauer and Ronaldo have all won the World Cup, while his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his continental crown at Euro 2016.

But you can't accuse Messi of not trying his upmost to secure Argentina's first top honour since 1993, helping to steer them to four major finals across 144 caps in the blue and white jersey.

Messi first tasted defeat at the final hurdle during the climax of the 2007 Copa America, failing to make a significant impact on the game as Argentina suffered a convincing 3-0 defeat to Brazil.

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Three final defeats on the bounce

However, the most high-profile final defeats on Messi's Argentina record came in heartbreaking fashion with the national talisman suffering three in the space of just three years.

The footballing world couldn't help thinking that Messi was cursed on the back of crushing losses in the 2014 World Cup final and proceeding Copa America climaxes in 2015 and 2016.

And what made those games all the more soul-destroying is the fact that Argentina never actually lost in 90 minutes, coming up short in extra-time once and then twice on penalties against Chile.

However, in the opinion of many football fans, the blame for these defeats lies at the feet of Gonzalo Higuain who infamously produced high-profile misses in all three finals. 

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'Real reason' Argentina lost three finals in a row

And one supporter, going by the YouTube username 'Ildado', believes that so passionately that they created an entire video on the theory that has amassed almost 700,000 views.

Posted in the aftermath of the 2016 defeat, the caption ruthlessly reads: "This is the real reason why Argentina lost 3 finals in a row. Higuain is the reason why Argentina lost NOT Messi. Higuain should retire NOT Messi."

Geez, tell us how you really feel. However, in the user's defence, the misses are pretty unforgivable, so be sure to check out the damning evidence by watching the full video down below:

It's like they livestreamed Messi's nightmares or something.

Was it Higuain's fault?

Now, it's worth saying that Higuain gets a shocking amount of abuse for his miss in the World Cup final, which is a little harsh considering that even the best of strikers bungle key chances at times.

However, for the Argentina poacher to have fluffed what are undisputedly huge opportunities in three consecutive finals in which his nation drew a blank, there's too much of a pattern to ignore.

Make no mistake that plenty of other players in the Argentina squad wilted on the big occasion, but Higuain converting just one of the chances in that video could have changed the course of history.

Obviously, the key word there is 'could' but if Messi can't secure Copa America glory before the summer is out, then it's a 'could' that might well haunt him for the rest of his days.