4 reasons why Lionel Messi could retire from Argentina

#3 The pressure of comparisons with Maradona

Messi will always be pitted against Maradona whether he likes it or not

It is in the nature of people to compare the best in any field to find out who comes out on top. In Messi's case, he has been compared to Diego Maradona ever since the start of his glorious career.

Well, you can't totally blame the critics, can you? For starters, both have short stature, both have scored bucketloads of goals and both have a similar playing style. In that case, it's but natural to brand Messi as the perfect heir to El Diego. However, it's the World Cup that has kept him from overtaking his former Argentina coach.

Every time Messi has failed to win, people have tried to pull him down by talking about how Maradona clinched a World Cup for Argentina with a less talented squad. He has been mocked and ridiculed for not being able to bring the trophy home, in spite of having a better set of players than those who won the competition in 1986.

The endless comparisons with Maradona have seemingly become an incurable disease for the Barcelona man. As a result, Messi seems to have succumbed to the pressure of claiming to be the legendary icon's worthy heir. Add the fact that the World Cup exit at the hands of France has done no good to his already tarnished image on the international stage.

Constant comparisons with Diego Maradona and the failure of satisfying the expectations of his nation might as well see him hang up his boots any day now.