Why Lionel Messi is still not a football great

We all love Lionel Messi. Could there be even an iota of doubt that he is the best footballer in the world?

You would expect the answer to be a resounding "no". After all, the the fleet-footed Argentine has enthralled the world over the years with his superlative ball-control, passing, dribbling and above all, his breathtaking goals, in the process gaining millions of admirers across the world, who would give anything to catch him in action.

It is indeed not without reason that Messi is the four-time world footballer of the year. It is not without reason that he is the all-time highest scorer in the Spanish La Liga and is neck-and-neck with his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of all-time highest scorers in UEFA club competitions. It is not simply the number of goals that he has netted, it is the manner in which he had scored them, befuddling his opponents, that makes him stand out. We are all enamoured by Messi's brilliance.

However, as much as I hate to do it, let me introduce a jarring note. For all the skills that the Argentine superstar possesses, can he be considered a "great" of the game?

Granted that the epithet has been used quite indiscriminately over the years causing it to lose a part of its charm, but ideally, one must earn his greatness, as did Carl Lewis, Magic Johnson, Pele, Muhammad Ali, or Diego Maradona, to name a few.

These are individuals who had gone where lesser mortals would never have thought to venture and achieved things which ordinary people would only have dreamt of.

Argentina's loss in the Copa America final to Chile on Saturday casts a serious doubt if Messi - the leader and talisman of the side - has been able to graduate from being "the best player of his generation" to one of the all-time greats.

This was yet another major international tournament, which Messi, in spite of huge expectations, could not inspire his country to win.

He showed flashes of brilliance, but where was that killer pass and that telling foray past the rival defence? Messi's game lacked decisiveness. It had been the same story in the World Cups of 2010 and 2014 and Copa America of 2007 and 2011, wherein "the best player of the world" flopped when it mattered most.

One of the indicators of greatness is the ability to carry a team along despite adversities and crunch situations. On such occasions, the individual starts to be identified with the team itself. Such an individual is the quintessential leader and the "great".

Maradona was raised to such greatness after he led Argentina to World Cup triumph in 1986. His second goal against England in the quarter-final is arguably the best goal in the history of the game and has been accorded cult status.

Pele had inspired Brazil to World Cup crowns in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Eusebio had won the hearts for Portugal in the World Cup of 1966 and Zinedine Zidane played a stellar role in World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000, both of which his side France won. These men delivered on the big stage and charted their own course, seldom depending on support.

Messi, on the other hand, has failed to put up the same sizzling show for his country as he does for his club FC Barcelona, where he has had the support of a famous mid-field comprising among others, Andres Iniesta and Xavi. He has, perhaps, not had the same steady ball supply in Argentina colours and run out of ideas.

Opponents, as a result, have taken full advantage and a supremely efficient German side showed how the "world's best player" could be totally blunted during the 4-0 drubbing of Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final in 2010.

Perhaps, the enormous weight of expectation on the diminutive Argentine every time he takes to the field, is the reason for his undoing. There have been occasions when he has had to face the fans' ire and during the Copa America final last Saturday, even his family members were not spared.

To be a "great" of the game, however, one has to take the burden of expectations bravely on his shoulders and take criticism in his stride. In this, Messi can possibly take a leaf out of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's book.

Messi has, on numerous occasions, been compared to Maradona and the legend himself holds Messi in high esteem. The bonhomie between the two was for all to see during the World Cup of 2010 when Maradona was the coach of Argentina.

In fact, Messi's goal against Getafe in a Copa del Rey match in 2007 is strikingly similar to Maradona's famous goal against England in the World Cup 1986 quarter-final.

However, till Messi inspires his country to a major international title and proves his mettle against world football's powerhouses on the big stage, his performance for Barcelona can make him the best player of his time, but certainly not a "great" of the game.