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What’s the story?
Former United States of America president Barack Obama, while addressing a conference, has implied that the Argentina national team, despite having Lionel Messi in their ranks, are unable to produce results and win titles because they do not play as a team and lack unity.
In case you didn’t know...
The Argentina national team came very close to lifting the 2014 World Cup, but Germany claimed the title after beating Messi and company in the final.
The South American giants also came close to winning the Copa America twice, but ended up finishing as runners-up on both occasions as they failed to capitalize on their chances in the finals.
The 2018 World Cup also ended on a sad note for Argentina as they were beaten 4-3 by eventual champions France in the Round of 16.
The heart of the matter
While addressing a conference in Bogota, the former two-time elected president of the United States, Obama, gave Messi and Argentina's example to highlight the point that very few people achieve great things on their own.
Obama explained that despite having one of the best players in the world in the form of Messi, Argentina fail to deliver because they lack team chemistry and don't seem unified on the field.
"Even people that we consider geniuses work with other people in order to develop their style.
"In Argentina, even though Messi is wonderful, they have problems winning the World Cup.
"My advice to young people is that we have to recognise very few people achieve great things on their own."
Messi has had a stupendous career with FC Barcelona, but the same thing can't be said about his stint with the national team.
What's next?
Obama's comments come at a point when the Argentina team are preparing for the upcoming Copa America, which is set to start in mid-June. Argentina have been drawn in Group B alongside Colombia, Paraguay and guests Qatar.
