Messi goes 'missing' from World Cup, leaves Argentina on the brink

There was no magic and an excess of reality in the gruesome display by Argentina on the football field of Niznhy Novgorod against Croatia on Thursday night.

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Following a month of media hype that spread from Argentina to Russia, the Messi brand was hyped up while the man on the pitch remained as small, introverted and enigmatic as ever. If the first match against Iceland had left one gasping for air, a solitary point with a new burden for Lionel Messi to live with (the failed penalty), the second act saw him reduced even further. The shadow of Maradona may be a contributing factor to the tiny genius’ mental block when it comes to the national team, but he wasn’t even able to be a shadow of himself on the night they most needed to recover.
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“I didn’t see Messi at all,” I said, causing much laughter among my fellow pundits while discussing the match. “Perhaps the TV hadn’t shown him because the cameras focus so much on the ball,” I hoped aloud. “Perhaps, Messi had been marked out of the game, or perhaps he was busy creating chances and opening spaces with his characteristic off-the-ball intelligence...”