Another tournament, another final, another shattering defeat for Argentina, and another round of unfavourable comparisons to the great Diego Maradona.
Lionel Messi was left reflecting on another bitterly familiar failure yesterday after Argentina suffered an agonizing penalty shoot-out defeat to Chile in the Copa America final. It was the second time in 12 months Messi had finished on the losing side in a major final following Argentina’s extra-time loss to Germany at the World Cup last year.
The defeat will reignite the debate about where Messi deserves to be ranked in the pantheon of the very greatest players to have graced the sport. For many, his extraordinary achievements at club level with Barcelona over the past decade have already guaranteed him a place alongside Pele and Diego Maradona. Others insist that his failure to lead his country to international glory puts him just behind Pele and Maradona, who won four World Cups between them.
Statistically at least, Messi outscores Maradona in almost every department, with 46 goals in 103 international appearances compared to Maradona’s 34 goals in 91 games.
At club level Messi has amassed 412 goals in 482 games, compared to Maradona’s 312 in 588 matches. 
Messi has won three European Cups with Barcelona; the famous trophy is conspicuously absent from Maradona’s CV.
Messi has been named world footballer of the year four times; Maradona earned the accolade only once.
Yet the arguments invariably circle back to trophies at international level. Although Messi played a key role in Argentina reaching the final of last year’s World Cup in Brazil, his achievements at international level have not seared themselves in the memory in the way that Maradona’s did during his displays in the 1986 World Cup. Maradona is largely credited with single-handedly guiding Argentina to that World Cup title in Mexico, scoring a series of memorable individual goals against England and Belgium along the way.
Chile gaffer Jorge Sampaoli said his side fully deserved to claim the Copa America crown after beating Argentina on penalties in Santiago on Saturday. After a goalless 120 minutes, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out, in which Lionel Messi was the only Argentina player to score.
And Argentine Sampaoli, who has transformed Chile since taking over as head coach two-and-a-half years ago, was a proud man after leading them to their first major honour in 22 years. And their first Copa America title.
