A hero and a villain: Lionel Messi's messy relationship with Argentina

The world is thankful for Lionel Messi.

In every crevice of the globe, you'll find people who hail the five-time Ballon d'Or winner as the greatest player of all time.

It's curious then, that aside from Manchester, Madrid and Madeira, the place where he is least appreciated is his homeland.

Messi's relationship with Argentina is complex to say the least; one built on adulation, animosity, agony and ecstasy...

For a visual representation of Messi's relationship with his compatriots, look no further than the 'Walk of Glory' in Buenos Aires.

In 2016, the mayor of the city ordered a bronze stature of Messi to be built in celebration of his services to the beautiful game.

To be immortalised in your own country is a distinguished honour, one that is bestowed upon very few.

Since it's erection, the statue has been vandalised by locals. Twice.

On the second occasion, the bronze Messi was relieved of his feet...

In terms of international football, Messi's outrageous talent has often been more curse than blessing.

It's safe to assume the vandals who severed the statue in Buenos Aires believe the man it was constructed in honour of should have inspired Argentina to at least one international trophy by now.

Barcelona have profited greatly from his gift and many Argentinians gaze upon the Catalan club's trophy cabinet with considerable envy and bitterness.

Messi has featured in four international finals. The only spoils being a quartet of runner-up medals.

And despite the fact he has been their standalone best player for over a decade, many fans resent Messi for taking them to the edge of glory time and time again without a satisfactory conclusion.

There was a risk of Argentina missing out on Messi altogether.

In 2003, Spain plotted to poach the La Masia pupil after Barcelona's director of football informed the selectors of a young kid with unlimited potential.

Messi qualified for his adoptive home having moved to Catalonia when he was 13.

He was not to know Spain were about to enter an era of dominance, with or without him, but had he decided to turn his back on his country of birth he would surely have a hat-trick of international medals in his already well-stocked trophy cabinet.

Playing for Argentina had been a dream of Messi's ever since he kicked his first ball.

To ensure there was no smash-and-grab, Argentina hastily arranged a pair of Under-20s friendlies so that they could dress their budding superstar in the famous blue and white stripes.

Messi's youth debut was a success, at 17 years old he scored and provided two assists in an 8-0 win over Paraguay.

His senior debut however, would end in tears...

Messi made his senior international debut against Hungary in 2005.

He replaced Lisandro Lopez in the 63rd minute, and by the 65th minute, his game was finished.

Sent off for violent conduct after the referee thought he saw an elbow, Messi was consoled by Juan Pablo Sorin and Hernan Crespo as he walked off the pitch and reportedly broke down in his tears when he reached the dressing room.

August 17th, 2005. The day Messi's international jinx was formed.

Argentina haven't won a major trophy since 1993 and the drought is a source of great pain for the football-mad nation.

Because of this, Messi has been found guilty of a heinous crime — failing to replicate Diego Maradona's 1986 heroics.

It's generally accepted that the El Pibe de Oro won the '86 World Cup single-handedly, quite literally single-handedly in regards to the quarter-final against England.

Maradona's efforts in Mexico are the stuff of legend. One man winning the World Cup; surely a one-off?

Rather than appreciate such a superhuman feat for the unique achievement it will likely prove to be, Argentinians are annoyed it has not already been repeated by Maradona's heir.

The finest of margins can become chasms over time.

In the 1986 World Cup final, Jorge Burruchaga latched on to Maradona's throughball and scored an 84th-minute winner against West Germany.

In 2014, Messi watched on as Gonzalo Higuain wasted a golden chance and then strayed offside at the vital moment against a unified Germany.

One Mario Gotze goal later and Messi's Maradona impersonation was unmasked.

In both instances, the protagonists were reliant on their team-mate to provide the final killer blow. One did. One didn't.

And that has made all the difference.

It was under Maradona's management that Messi suffered the most in terms of performance.

Incredibly, he went two-and-a-half years without scoring an international goal, fulfilling a deeper role in a disjointed and inharmonious squad.

In fairness, the public called for him to be utilised in the same way as he was by Barcelona.

The two greats met to discuss tactics and from then on he was used as a false 9, with prolific results.

Messi's decision to cross the Atlantic Ocean at such a young age has also led to him being painted as the villain at times.

Maradona may have spent his peak years in Europe but his six years with Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors at the start of his career, and a few token games for Newell's Old Boys and Boca at the tailend, served his reputation well.

Carlos Tevez and Juan Roman Riquelme are both adored in Argentina for their services to the domestic game.

Having become an honorary Catalan, Messi is almost seen as a faux Argentine.

And its this distance, both in the literal sense and metaphorically, that coaxes out criticism of Messi in some, even if such treatment is objectively unfair.

The twin Copa America final defeats cut Messi deeper than ever before.

In 2015 and 2016, Argentina were felled at the last by Chile in penalty shootouts after 120 goalless minutes.

On the first occasion, Messi was the only one to score, with Higuain and Banega failing to convert from 12 yards.

The sequel was even more cruel.

Messi blazed Argentina's first penalty over the bar, and despite successful spot-kicks from Mascherano and Aguero, Biglia's miss broke Argentine hearts once again.

Three final defeats in three consecutive years.

For Messi, it was too much to bear.

He announced his retirement from international football at the age of 29.

Some responded with a simple 'good riddance'.

However, faced with the reality of moving forward without the best player in the world, others started a campaign in an attempt to persuade Messi to reverse his decision.

The 'Don't go, Leo' movement gained momentum rapidly with thousands of fans expressing their appreciation of their talisman's talent and effort.

Where previously they lacked gratitude, suddenly there was an overwhelming outpouring of it.

A week later, when the wounds of the final had stopped weeping, Messi relented and committed to Argentina once again.

Heading to Russia in 2018, Argentina were as dependent on Messi as ever.

The two-time World Cup winners nearly missed out altogether after an unconvincing qualifying campaign.

Messi's blockbuster hat-trick against Ecuador in the last game ensured qualification from the South American group when it looked for all the world Argentina would have to face trial by qualifier.

This act of heroism endeared himself to the Argentine public like never before.

However, come tournament time, Jorge Sampaoli's shambolic preparation was exposed.

Argentina scraped through the group stages before being dispatched by eventual champions France in an entertaining round of 16 clash — using a different formation in each game.

Many were underwhelmed by Messi's personal performances as the No10 - wondergoal against Nigeria aside - appeared hampered by the crushing weight of expectation.

The stark truth is Argentina were in no shape to compete at the World Cup — that was obvious from the start of qualifying to the point of elimination.

But the reaction was disproportionate; because it's Argentina, because it's Messi.

The Messi factor means more than a few neutrals harbour good will towards Argentina once the 2019 Copa America gets underway.

Because at the end of the day, he's brilliant, magnificent, otherworldly.

No player is owed anything in football, but many would say Messi deserves an international trophy to eviscerate any lingering caveats that cling to his career.

Post-World Cup, harsh critics have written off his international career entirely — dismissing his 67 international goals, a tally only bettered by two currently active players.

You get the feeling Argentina's on-again-off-again hero rarely enjoys international football these days.

But his hunger for success is more ravenous than ever.

And when you possess talent like Messi's, anything is possible.