It’s become a sad, almost pitiable summer ritual—watching a forlorn Lionel Messi shuffle past a trophy he can’t touch with a shocked, vacant stare on his face.
If there’s a sad chapter to his remarkable soccer story, it’s about the strange disconnect he’s had, at times, with his homeland. Messi, now 29, left Argentina at 13 and has been more blaugrana than albiceleste since.
While he’s been all conquering at Barcelona, his international success has been limited to an U-20 World Cup in 2005 and an Olympic gold medal three years later. The eye test suggests he’s every bit the player Diego Maradona was, and Messi’s club and personal accolades offer evidence he’s the best ever.