Over the years, winning an international trophy seems to have become an obsession for Lionel Messi, a task he wants to get done with as quickly as possible. With him losing 4 finals and Cristiano Ronaldo winning the Euro in 2016, the pressure on his shoulders has mounted to the zenith.
Ronaldo lifted the Euro 2016 trophy with an average squad of players, which is appreciable. However, it’s the same squad that also relieves him or his country of the expectations and pressure of being favourites for any national level competitions.
Meaning no disrespect to CR7 or his ability to perform under pressure, but players definitely do better when they are relaxed. At Argentina, Messi doesn’t have the same advantage. They have a number of big names like Di Maria, Higuain and many others, which makes them favourites for every other title they compete for.
However, the fact that many of these players go missing in big games seems to escape the minds of critics. They have failed their country a number of times, but it is Messi who takes the blame for all the failures. Agree to it or not, but the histories of both nations too have an effect on both the titans.
The Real Madrid man is a benchmark at Portugal for delivering their first ever international title, a feat for which he will always be worshiped for in his country. He’ll hardly be criticized even if he doesn’t win the World Cup, knowing Portugal are far from being the favourites in the tournament.
In comparison to Ronaldo, Messi faces more weight of expectations, given the fact that he hails from a country which has already won the World Cup twice. He has the giant boots of the great Maradona to fill if he wishes to be considered as a hero in his nation.
The constant comparisons with Maradona and not winning an accolade in spite of having a better squad of players in contrast to CR7 will always act as a negative for the Argentinian and his claim as the greatest of all time. That mammoth level of pressure is perhaps one of the crucial reasons why the Barcelona man has fallen short of the expectations of his countrymen.