5 reasons why Lionel Messi should retire from international football

#2 Removing Messi-dependency

Everything on his shoulders

Even a great team like Barcelona sometimes find themselves relying on Messi to bail them out of some matches. This actually increased a lot after the departure of Xavi and the decline of Iniesta.

When a player like Messi – who is head and shoulders above the rest – plays for your team, it is only natural for you to depend on him. The calibre that he oozes on the pitch often makes his team-mate take him for granted and not give their best.

This feels like a concurrent theme with Argentina as apart from a selected few, it feels as though no-one gives their 100% because they have this “Messi is here to save us” sort of temperament.

While this is not Messi’s fault – he is just too damn good – this is something that should not be there in any team as a unit that relies on one person is bound to fail more often than not.