Copa America 2015: Messi seeks glory with the national team.

As long as Lionel Messi has not yet won titles with Argentina, doubts about his greatness compared to Maradona or Pele will persist.

Messi recently celebrated his 24th career trophy with the 2015 Champions League title with Barcelona. It's an incredible achievement, but glory with the Argentine national team continues to elude the 27-year-old striker.

Though unspoken, the failures when representing his country remain an unhealed pain for Messi, who was once defeated by Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final. With the 2015 Copa America, Messi clearly sees an opportunity to elevate his greatness to a new level, especially as his form, morale, and preparations leading up to the tournament all seem favorable.

As an exceptional player, the pressure on Messi is always immense. This diminutive young man is constantly embroiled in a battle for greatness when compared to his predecessors. Messi has it all; his feet create miracles. Some experts and former players assert that Messi is the greatest player in history, but many others disagree, emphatically stating: "Pele and Maradona once won the World Cup."

Messi (center) needs titles with the national team to overcome the shadow of Maradona (left) or Pele. Photo: Eurosport.

A sad truth for Messi is that the Argentinian people don't really love him. While this has changed somewhat recently, after the Barcelona player led Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final, a significant portion of Argentinians still believe that Messi always dedicates his best to his club while neglecting his duties with the national team.

Messi will have to wait until 2018 to participate in the next World Cup. But for now, the Copa America title is calling his name. And that would be his first title with the national team if Messi wins it, as he is currently in peak form, as evidenced by his fantastic season with Barca.

The last time Argentina won the Copa America was in 1993, a long time ago for a powerful South American team. But the current generation, with Messi, cannot follow in the footsteps of their predecessors like Hernan Crespo or Javier Zanetti. The lack of trophies is a shame for any team that has Messi in its squad.

Before the Champions League final against Juventus, Messi's Barcelona and Argentina teammate Javier Mascherano gave an interview. When asked about the worst thing that can happen to a player, Mascherano replied: "Losing a World Cup final is the worst thing." Not just for Messi, but the current generation of talented Argentinians are suffering the pain of having trophies elude them.

The titles he won with Barca weren't enough to dispel doubts surrounding Messi's greatness. Photo: Reuters.

In Argentina, preparations for the 2015 Copa America have been quieter than four years ago. Firstly, this is because the 2011 Copa America was held in Argentina. Looking at this year's Champions League final, it's clear that the most notable players for both teams – Messi for Barcelona and Carlos Tevez for Juventus – are both Argentinian. A team boasting two stars who are dominating European football shouldn't have to face such indifference from their own fans entering such an important tournament.

But Messi could very well reignite the atmosphere, just as he has done countless other miracles. For years, experts have been searching for the difference between Messi and other players. And the answer is perhaps still magic. Messi's feet bring confidence to Argentina, just like how they reached the World Cup final last year. That was the first time since 1990 that Argentina went further than the quarter-finals of the biggest tournament on the planet.

Watching Messi play is a privilege. Not many of us have had the chance to see Maradona play, making comparisons between Messi and his predecessor. But to surpass Maradona's legacy, Messi needs glory with the national team. He needs the Copa America, even as much as he needs a World Cup title.

Gerd Muller has won the European Cup (the predecessor of the Champions League) three times, but the German "Bombard" has never been considered the best. Winning titles while playing for Bayern Munich, Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, or Manchester United is still seen as normal. Messi, therefore, is just a great player doing normal things. Unless he wins titles at the national team level, it will be very difficult for him to change that normalcy.

Surrounded by talented players, Messi is in a team that needs to win titles. Photo: AFP.

Of course, every player has their own career. Stéphane Guivarc'h won the World Cup (1998 with France), but who would choose this former player over Alfredo Di Stefano (who never played in a World Cup) for an all-time ideal team?

However, to truly represent the magic, Messi needs everything to put an end to doubts about his greatness. Many believe Messi will conquer the 2018 World Cup, but first and foremost, the Copa America is the goal he must pursue if he wants to reach the pinnacle of glory.

Messi and Argentina will begin their Copa America 2015 campaign with their opening match in Group B against Paraguay at 4:30 AM Hanoi time tomorrow, June 14th.

According to VNE