Lionel Messi

Watching Lionel Messi vs Croatia was like watching LeBron James against the Golden State Warriors. Even the best players in sports are only as good as their supporting casts — and Messi’s midfield right now is just no good.

LeBron James couldn’t come close to beating the Warriors in the NBA Finals this year because the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have much going for them aside from James. Sure there’s Kevin Love and JR Smith, but, yeah, it’s Kevin Love and JR Smith. 

As the Argentina vs Croatia highlights show, Lionel Messi and company collapsed against an altogether superior opponent on Thursday in Nizhny Novgorod, 3-0. Spearheaded by the influential play of the sublime Luka Modric, Croatia is through to the Round of 16 while Argentina is on the verge of a shock group stage elimination.

After Day 6 had three 1-0 matches, we figure Thursday will yield some more goals. Australia faces a crucial match against Denmark after falling to France thanks to an own goal from Aziz Behich. France on the other hand will look to have a better performance but will take on a Peru side that got robbed of securing any points against Denmark. Then Lionel Messi and Argentina will take on Croatia, the leaders of Group D. All eyes will be on La Pulga to see if he can dig Argentina out of a hole after their 1-1 draw with Iceland. 

No event escalates individuals to the status of national hero or global villain as dramatically as the World Cup. The idolatry that follows success and the stigma that follows failure are woven into the fabric of history, and the repercussions will typically follow footballers for the rest of their lives. Daily, we’ll take a look at who played the role of hero and who played the role of villain at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

While World Cup expectations can vary from country to country and player to player, every individual who puts on his national team jersey feels pressure to perform for his country.

In spite of this, there are some generational talents who will be responsible for carrying the hopes of an entire nation this summer. Here's a list of the players under the most pressure for Russia 2018.

Lionel Messi will celebrate his 31st birthday on June 24, just two days before Argentina takes on Nigeria in its third and final group stage match. Accordingly, should Messi choose to prolong his international career after Russia, he’ll be 35 by the time Qatar 2022 kicks off (that World Cup will be played from late November until mid-December). 

After losing back-to-back Copa America finals on penalties to Chile, there’s also the 2019 tournament in Brazil to consider (that would certainly constitute sweet revenge for Messi and company).