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#3 Copa America nightmare
It was a familiar problem for Lionel Messi as he travelled to Brazil to represent Argentina at the Copa America this year. The mercurial playmaker couldn't find his rhythm during the course of the competition and was a mere shadow of himself all through.
Messi couldn't inspire his team to success. He struggled to impress with his performances. While Argentina made it into the semi-finals, there were no concrete contributions from the Messi. A solitary goal from the spot against Paraguay in the group stage and an assist across the whole tournament was a poor return by his standards.
The attacker was sent off in his last game - the third place decider against Chile - to conclude another embarrassing outing on the international stage. Messi's failure with Argentina could deprive him once again. It shouldn't be forgotten that Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal to the UEFA Nations League triumph recently - edging out Netherlands' Virgil Van Dijk in the final. In a Ballon d'Or contest of fine margins this year, these details could make the difference.
