3 reasons why Lionel Messi struggles with Argentina

#1 Too much is expected from him in Argentina

It is a well-known fact that football in Argentina is almost a religion, with support of the beautiful game so widespread and emotional that it borders on fanaticism.

It is also well known that the national team of Argentina have gone a whopping 28 years without a major international trophy and for a bonafide world class footballing nation, this is an embarrassing drought, to say the least.

Till this day, Diego Maradona is revered as a god in his country for his heroics in bringing the 1986 World Cup home and since then, fans of Argentina have been crying out for another savior to take them to the promised land.

The arrival of Messi on the scene in the middle of the last decade seemed to be the answer to his compatriot's prayers, as whereas many had come before him as the 'next Maradona', none came close to matching the Napoli great in terms of stature, close control, dribbling and playing pattern.

Suddenly Argentina were expected to win every tournament they contested simply because they had Messi and while his status as possibly the greatest player in history means he is more than capable of deciding tournaments on his own, there is only so much he can do as an individual.

The pressure to bring back a long-awaited major trophy and find justification in the eyes of his compatriots is always evident every time Messi steps out in an Argentine shirt as he lacks the freedom and relaxedness he oozes while representing Barcelona.

While there might also be pressure in a Barcelona shirt, it can in nowhere be compared to that of Argentina which was recently compared to fighting a war by current coach Lionel Scaloni.

Pressure sometimes helps bring out the best in players, but in the case of Messi and Argentina, the reverse seems to be the case and this might be a crucial factor in why he struggles to replicate his club form with his country.