EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
Lionel Messi put his penalty kick over the crossbar, grabbed his shirt, clenched his teeth and put both hands over his face.
A few minutes later he walked off the field, a dazed, pained look on his bearded face. The greatest player of his generation, perhaps soccer's best ever, he was still without a title on Argentina's national team.
"The national team is over for me," he told the Argentine network TyC Sports after Chile beat Argentina for the Copa America title Sunday night. "It's been four finals, it's not meant for me.