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The 2019 edition of the Copa America is well underway, as 12 nations battle it out for top honors in Brazil. The tournament has pitted together South America's finest, with invitations sent out to Qatar and Japan.
The one team that have their sights on the trophy the most is Argentina.
La Albiceleste has gone a massive 28 years without triumphing on their continent, and in a football crazy nation like Argentina, this is simply not good enough.
Their tournament, however, got off to the worst start possible, as Lionel Scaloni's men fell to a 2-0 defeat by Colombia, to put them rock bottom of Group B after the first round of matches.
While it might seem highly unlikely on the evidence of their showing against Colombia, Argentina has an ace up their sleeves in the form of Lionel Messi and their talisman is more than capable of turning the tide on its head to lead his nation to Copa America glory.
In this piece, we shall be taking a look at three reasons why Lionel Messi could lead Argentina all the way in the 2019 Copa America.
Also see : Copa America Standings, La Liga Transfer News, Barcelona Transfer News
#3 The expectation levels with Argentina are low
Ever since Argentina's last title triumph in 1991, the country has gone into every major tournament with fans genuinely believing in their team's chances to go all the way and lift the trophy.
This assured belief was not founded on any form of blind faith or misplaced patriotism but in the fact that the Argentine squads of the last two decades have been among the best in history.
Few teams competing with the South American giants in major tournaments could boast of a squad possessing as much quality within its ranks. A roll call of players to don the Sky Blue and White of Argentina consists of some of the greatest ever to play the game including Walter Samuel, Gabriel Batistuta, Hernan Crespo, Juan Roman Riquelme, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Ariel Ortega, Juan Sebastian Veron, Lionel Messi, Javier Zanetti, but to name a few.
These players played for the biggest clubs in Europe and were expected to pull their weight on the international scene with their nation, but this has failed to happen. Argentina endured multiple heartbreaks at major tournaments with the three consecutive final defeats suffered between 2014 and 2016 being the lowest point.
Heading into the 2019 Copa America, the reverse happens to be the case, as the current Argentine squad is full of inexperienced and unheralded players who are nowhere near being on the levels of their illustrious forebears with Lionel Scaloni seemingly molding a team for the future.
Other than Messi, Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria and a handful of others, the rest of the squad is virtually unheard of and this has led to a general feeling of low expectation from the Argentine team both back home and across the rest of the world.
This could well play out to their advantage, as while everyone is focusing on the danger posed by Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia (by virtue of their wonderful victory over Argentina), Lionel Messi and co could be going about their business slowly but steadily.
In the past, Argentina suffered heavily from the weight of expectations, but with virtually nobody expecting anything from them this time around and with the shackles of expectation taken off his shoulders, Lionel Messi could play a decisive role in leading his nation to glory.
#2 A Copa America triumph could be a determining factor in winning the Ballon d'Or
Just two months ago, Lionel Messi was the firm favorite to win the 2019 Ballon d'Or, having been the driving force behind Barcelona's quest for a record-extending third treble.
The 31-year-old still ended the season as the highest goalscorer in La Liga, Europe, and the Champions League, but the embarrassing nature of his side's exit to Liverpool in the Champions League as well as their Copa del Rey final defeat by Valencia saw him lose his previously firm grip on football's most prestigious individual prize.
Virgil van Dijk has emerged as many people's forerunner to become the only the fourth defender and first since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006 to lift the glorious prize.
Cristiano Ronaldo has also firmly established himself in the race and many see a Copa America triumph as the deciding factor which could swing the Ballon d'Or pendulum back in Messi's favor.
Lionel Messi is without a Ballon d'Or since 2015 and if Copa America victory is all that stands in his way of getting a record-extending sixth win, it would not be out of the question to see him go all the way as he has done so often in the past.
#1 Ronaldo's Nations League triumph could become the extra motivation Messi needs
The Ronaldo/Messi rivalry is well documented, as the pair have taken football to new heights and performed feats which were previously thought unimaginable.
The rivalry is arguably the greatest in human history and quite possibly the most intense in the annals of professional sports. Nothing comes close. Not Joe Frazier/Muhammed Ali in Boxing, Sebastian Vettel/Lewis Hamilton in Formula One, Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal in Tennis, Magic Johnson/Larry Bird in Basketball, or any other sporting rivalry you can think of.
Over the last decade, both men have set records too numerous to list and fans have been engaged in a bitter and rather tiresome debate over who the better is, with virtually every football fan on the planet on one side or the other.
Even though it is almost impossible to determine who the better player is, it is unarguable that the two are among the greatest in history and we have been blessed to witness the pair grace the fields of our beautiful game.
Both men in the past have stated that their competition with one another pushes each to strive to be better and their performances at club level are so pristine such that they can barely be distinguished, with Ronaldo counterbalancing Messi's domestic dominance with extraterrestrial performances on the continent.
However, if there is one area where the Portuguese has a distinct advantage over his Argentine contemporary, it is on the international scene, as Lionel Messi has quite been unable to match his club form with Barcelona on the international scene with Argentina.
Ronaldo's EURO 2016 triumph meant he helped his nation win their first ever major trophy, and just two weeks later, Messi suffered heartbreak in the final of the Copa America centenarrio which happened to be his third consecutive and fourth final defeat with Argentina.
To make matters worse for Messi, a Ronaldo inspired hat-trick was enough to fire Portugal to the final of the maiden edition of the UEFA Nations League earlier in 2019 and even though he did not score in the final, a Goncalo Guedes goal was enough to see him win his second international trophy in three years with Portugal and this is a fact Twitter was quick to rub in Messi's face.
With Ronaldo's second trophy won with Portugal, Lionel Messi would be determined to get closer to his great rival and this could see him go out of his way to lead his nation to Copa America glory.
