Messi is recognised as one of the finest players of all time but he is running a serious risk of retiring without winning the FIFA World Cup or Copa America.
The Argentine is one of a handful of world class performers who have won multiple honours at club level but have failed to taste success in their national colours.
Absolute club legends like Benfica's Eusebio, Ajax's and Barcelona's Johan Cruyff, AC Milan's Paolo Maldini, Manchester United's Paul Scholes and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard fall into this category. Messi is likely to join them.
Argentina kicked off their 2019 Copa America campaign with high hopes of giving the competition in rival territory Brazil a shake.
But the Albiceleste were shaken by a rock solid Colombia side that deserved nothing less than an impressive 2-0 victory in Salvador.
Carlos Queiroz's Colombians made Argentina look second rate and stunning goals from Roger Martinez, who plays his club football in Mexico with Club America, and Atalanta's Duval Zapata sealed the Argentines' fate.
The Portuguese coach will derive plenty of satisfaction from Colombia's victory.
Five years ago, as Iran's coach, he devised the perfect game plan to thwart the Argentines and when the World Cup group game in Belo Horizonte looked like it was headed for a nil-all draw, Messi popped up with an injury-time screamer to win it for his side.
This time there was to be no repeat because Argentina today are in a worse position than they were in Brazil.
The team has a fearsome attack comprising Messi, Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero but it lacks cohesion, it is cumbersome in midfield and highly suspect in defence.
Messi did his best to create something out of nothing with players some of whom would not get a game for his stellar club side Barcelona.
But he could only do so much with players around him who were not on his same wavelength let alone his ability.
It is early days but on this form there is no way Argentina can win the competition.
It is rather sad to see such a magnificent and exemplary footballer being regularly deprived of international glory because of the ineptitude of his teammates.
Cristiano Ronaldo is somewhat more fortunate in this regard. The Portuguese predator, who has won a multitude of trophies with Manchester United and Real Madrid, has the luxury of playing with a better national team that has won the 2016 UEFA European Championship and now the UEFA Nations League.
Time is beginning to run out for Messi, who will be 32 next week, to win a major international honour.
He has come close several times when he was a loser in three consecutive finals.
After leading Argentina to the 2014 final in Rio de Janeiro, he was forced to watch Germany win the world crown with a 1-0 victory after fellow striker Gonzalo Higuain had missed a glorious sitter in the first half.
Twelve months later Argentina reached the Copa America final in Santiago but lost the final on penalties to home side Chile after a goalless draw.
And a year on from that the same two teams met in the centenary Copa final in East Rutherford and the Chileans again prevailed on penalties after another goalless match.
Argentina played poorly in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup and only made it after Messi came to his country's rescue with a hat-trick in a 3-1 win in Ecuador in the last match.
The Argentines bowed out in Russia after a 4-3 loss to eventual winners France in the round of 16 and the fact they had taken part in arguably the best match of the tournament would have come as no consolation whatsoever.
There are fears that Argentina might not be so lucky in qualifying for 2022.
Much will depend on whether Messi is around for a tilt at Qatar.
Yet even if he is, this Argentina side is so poor that it would take a miracle for him to add a major title to his glittering club trophy cabinet.
