#3 Messi fails when his side needed him the most
Up until the finals, Barcelona ace Lionel Messi was the best player of the tournament by a country mile. With 5 goals and 4 assists, the 29-year old was in the form of his life for Argentina and looked set to finally deliver an international trophy that the country is yearning for long.
The MetLife stadium was packed to the rafters waiting keenly for him to weave his magic, but the fans were left disappointed in the end. Messi not only failed to show up but also missed his kick from the spot, failing to take advantage of Vidal’s miss earlier.
For all his awe-inspiring performances in the competition so far, La Pulga was largely inconspicuous in the finals and was even booked for an apparent dive in the penalty area in the first-half. The miss in the shoot-out merely summed up his miserable evening.
The world watched with bated breath as Messi was on the cusp of finally lifting a trophy with Argentina, but it was the same old story in the end – so close yet so far.
