Has a shirt ever weighed as heavily as Argentina’s does on Lionel Messi?
Arguably the best footballer in history, the Barcelona maestro must secretly wish he had decided, back in 2003 when Spain invited him to be part of their squad for the Under-17 World Cup, to opt for the threads of La Roja instead of those of La Albiceleste — stitching that has become synonymous with his only failing in a sport he has otherwise dominated for a generation: to lead the country of his birth to a first major title since 1993.
That fateful decision, even if it was the right one, seemed at the time a sort of repayment to Argentina, which Messi had left for the Catalan capital in order to strengthen his body, train at the world’s top academy and prepare for his inevitable ascension to superstardom.