Messi should have never reversed retirement for Argentina

 
There comes a point when enough is enough and Lionel Messi appeared to have reached that point last summer. Something changed in the mindset of the Argentinean, breaking down after yet another defeat in the final of a major tournament.

He grew a beard, changed his hair and disappeared from public view, spotted only when on one of his hikes. As Hillary Clinton would attest, all of this was a reflex reaction to suffering the greatest indignity of one's career.

But while Clinton was always destined to step back into the spotlight at some stage, Messi vowed never to return, announcing his retirement from the international game. Of course, the Barcelona man would ultimately reverse his decision less than two months later, citing his desire to 'help from within', but Messi had already let slip his true feelings about Argentina and all that comes with playing for his country.
It's not something he enjoys, and going on the basis of his conduct during an Argentina game last week the u-turn has done little to change that.Messi will sit out Argentina's next three fixtures, having already missed Tuesday's defeat to Bolivia, after directing abuse towards the match officials during a World Cup qualifying clash with Chile.

Precisely what Messi said is unknown, but going on the punishment meted out whatever he said presumably would have made Malcolm Tucker blush.And so the 29-year-old will have more time to contemplate things from the sidelines.

He will surely think over his call to return to the international fold, whether playing for Argentina is really worth it. If Messi truly ponders that question he will realise that he should have stuck by his original decision. Retiring from international duty was the right thing to do.

Messi doesn't need Argentina. He might not have lifted a major international trophy, but that counts against him in no way as a legend of the sport.

Club accolades heavily outweigh anything in the international game, and Messi has more a few of those to show for his 13 years at Barcelona.

Diego Maradona and Pele were once lauded on the basis of what they achieved with their countries, but times have changed and greats are now defined by Champions League winners medals and Ballon d'Or globes.But aside from any sporting reasoning, Messi could do without the stress and strain playing for
Argentina clearly places on him.

For Barcelona, he is level-headed, unflustered, almost dull at times, yet for his national team he becomes an entirely different person, allowing emotion and frustration to get the better of him time and time again.

How long before that starts to creep into his club game? Barcelona is a fraught place right now, with Luis Enrique leaving the club at the end of the season and the boardroom politicking showing no sign of abating, and so it would be easy for Messi to find himself caught up in it all like he has with Argentina.

That is something he must be wary of.At 29, Messi must now consider how to preserve himself best. Mortality gives him an expiry date just like any other player and he must start making moves to push that date as far back as possible. Retiring from international duty for good, as he should have done last summer, would be one such beneficial move.

International football is something Messi could do without.

It offers him nothing, both as a player and a person. The latter should form the most important aspect of any decision he makes. Mindset and mentality is something often overlooked in football, but Messi's recent experiences at international level show why it deserves more attention.

By performing a u-turn on his u-turn he would be heading in the right direction again

Source: marca.com