Lionel Messi, as you probably know by now, is good at playing football
With five Ballon d’Ors to his name, there’s no disputing that he’s one of the greatest ever to take to a football field. Perhaps he’d be seen as the greatest ever were it not for a certain bloke from Madeira.
Although he’s idolised by supporters of Barcelona, where he’s spent the entirety of his club career, the feeling towards him doesn’t quite seem to be the same from fans of the Argentina national side.
He might have won the Golden Ball for his contribution to the country’s run to the World Cup final four years ago, but there’s a sense that Messi’s generally not the same force when on international duty as he is when he pulls on a Barca shirt.
Messi has been on the receiving end of plenty of criticism since Argentina’s 1-1 draw with Iceland in their opening game of the 2018 World Cup. His second half penalty was saved in the game, and manager Jorge Sampaoli has since urged supporters not to blame his number ten for their poor start to the campaign.
Regardless of this, many watching coverage of Argentina’s national anthem prior to their second game against Croatia felt Messi looked incredibly burdened by the weight of expectation from his countrymen.
As the camera scanned the Argentina line-up, Messi was seen rubbing his forehead, with some suggesting he was deliberately trying to cover his face.
#Messi's body language for #ARG before kickoff. 😮
Can you say stressed?pic.twitter.com/qaYuX8jYOq
— The Soccer Republic (@SoccerRep) June 21, 2018
Jesus, look at messi during anthem. Pressure. #ARGCRO
— Mick Steele (@msteele72) June 21, 2018
Leo Messi covering his face during the anthem rendition is a further proof of the unbearable pressure & burden his country has plunged him into. Win it alone.
— Larry (@farahodhiambo) June 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/adamfithen/status/1009858080170012672
Good lord, that close-up of Messi during the anthem… I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much visible pressure on an athlete’s face before a game.
— Adam Epling (@epzilla) June 21, 2018
The look from Messi during his national anthem just shows how much pressure he had on his shoulders
— The Great One (@YouforicMonk) June 21, 2018
Look how tense #ARG players where in tunnel & during national anthem. #Messi had his face covered. Says it all. Pressure cooker situation. #ARGCRO #WorldCup
— mumbaikaengineer (@Faltuuengineer) June 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/TheRebelTreble/status/1009859264758853632
Messi’s draw with Iceland left them joint second in their group after the first set of games. Croatia topped the group after beating Nigeria 2-0 in their opening game, meaning victory over Argentina would guarantee their passage to the the last 16.
Nigeria take on Iceland on Friday afternoon, with the final games in the group taking place next Tuesday.
