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#7 Villarreal
When Lionel Messi is not scoring or assisting goals, he is usually busy making a fool out of players who tackle him. That might seem like somewhat of an exaggeration but against Villarreal he just did that. The game was full of entertaining spells as no team felt sure that they could get all-three points.
Villarreal took the lead in under 30 minutes but soon the Antoine Griezmann show began. The Frenchman did not have the most memorable spell with the Catalans but this was one of his better games. It has been argued that Lionel Messi's presence restricted Griezmann from unleashing himself.
Well, then this game must be an exception to that. Despite the Argentine's presence, the Frenchman took it upon himself to equalize and then give Barcelona the lead. All within just seven minutes of Villarreal's goal.
The Catalans protected a 2-1 advantage for the rest of the game. Their work became easier after Manu Trigueros saw himself red-carded for a rash challenge on Lionel Messi, who failed to find the back of the net in the game.
#6 Paraguay
Whether it is the Barcelona colors or the Argentina ones, Lionel Messi is unarguably the standout player regardless of where he plays. The PSG forward has had a great year with his national team and there were only a few selective teams that managed to neutralize his presence.
Paraguay may not be the most glorious South American team but you can bet Lionel Messi doesn't like them a lot. His feelings are justified because they stopped him from scoring on not one but two occasions. The forward managed a goal contribution in every Copa America game except against two sides. One of those teams was Paraguay.
If it wasn't for an early Papu Gomez goal, Argentina could have dropped points in this fixture. They hung on to a narrow 1-0 lead and got all the points.
Lionel Messi's men then faced off against Paraguay in the World Cup qualifiers. This time they were well prepared and not only did they stop the Argentina No.10 but fought for a hard 0-0 draw. Lionel Messi created Argentina's best chance to break the deadlock with a through ball in the 11th minute, but they could not convert it.
#5 Colombia
Colombia and Argentina played one of the most entertaining games in this year's Copa America edition. It has always been a fixture of great intensity and heated exchange and this was in no way different. Nothing would have given Lionel Messi more satisfaction than beating their bitter rivals on their way to the dream final.
Colombia had stopped the Argentine maestro from getting on the scoresheet a month earlier in World Cup qualifiers. However, he is an experienced customer and you can't keep him away from action for too long. Colombia found out the hard way as Lionel Messi notched an assist for Lautaro Martinez's goal.
Luis Diaz equalized in the second half and gave Colombia a path to redemption via a penalty shootout. But Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez put on a heroic display, a masterclass, to save three penalties and help Argentina progress.
#4 Brazil
How quickly things change in football is sometimes quite amusing. Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. went from contesting an emotional Copa America final in July to playing for the same club a month later. The two stars were left teary eyed after the final concluded.
The Argentine had tears of joy after having secured his first major silverware with La Albiceleste while the Brazilian was heart-broken after the loss. It is ironic though that the prolific forward did not score, nor managed an assist in one of the most important games of his career.
Angel Di Maria scored his only goal of the tournament to write history for Argentina in the final. Lionel Messi must feel very proud to be playing alongside him at PSG now. It was a frantic finale as every player gave every ounce of their effort on the pitch. The nine yellow cards issued in the game were clear proof of it.
Brazil negotiated Lionel Messi's threat for a second time this year when they played a World Cup qualifier game in November. It was a 0-0 stalemate as none of the sides really made the most of their opportunities.
