For the third time in three straight years, Lionel Messi has failed to deliver Argentina a trophy.

Messi, the Barcelona superstar with five Ballon d'Or trophies to his name and a possible six coming, was not completely at fault for his team's epic fails. He cannot do anything about the fact that Gonzalo Higuain chokes with a goal on his foot. Or the fact that for the second straight year, Chile's goalie Claudio Bravo was epic in the penalty shootout.

But Messi, arguably the best player the sport has ever known and one of the finest athletes ever, gets all the blame and spotlight.

He has shown for years that he can carry his club side to a tournament finish singlehandedly. And in the last three years, he was the catalyst for Argentina's three straight finals.

But when push came to shove, Messi has backfired in each moment, none more infamous than his penalty miss that would have given Argentina a big lead in the shootout.

That ball flew out into the stands, a fitting symbol for Messi's supposed end to his international career.

If this is really it, then his legacy for Argentina and overall will be tainted by that miss; ever so close to glory, but running away from him.

But should he quit?

At 29, Messi is at a crossroads. It is possible that heading into Sunday, this was his endgame all along. Retire from Argentina in glory or quit if he loses again. He already stated his issues with the country's football association.

On the field, he has never been better or more influential. Not quite the goalscorer that put 91 goals in a year for club and country, but with greater vision. His dribbling abilities have declined over the years and this past season was one of his weakest for Barcelona in ages. But that said, Messi, as he proved in this tournament, is still more than capable of influencing a tournament when at his best.

Of course he knows that by the time he steps on a pitch in Russia in two years time, he will be 30 and by the end of the tournament he will be 31. For a player who relies on his pace and intelligence, he likely knows that the former will likely be skidding while the latter grows. But the tragedy of athletes is that as their intelligence prospers and they start to picking out the patterns they failed to see before, their body slowly but surely erodes, stealing their greatest potential from them.

Of course Messi has arguably reached a level no one else has and should be an effective player into his mid-30's if he adapts himself to a different style of play. And he likely will and should still be a force for the next World Cup and Copa America.

But the pressure is likely what is driving him away. And the support.

The Pressure from home

Argentine icon Diego Maradona recently made a statement telling the national side not to come back to their homeland if they lose the title. Ever the troll, Maradona however has essentially verbalized the pressure that is mounting for a national side that has not delivered since 1993. This was their best chance and they flitted it away.

An Aging Generation

Messi might still be elite in two or three years, but what about the rest of the team's core? Goalie Sergio Romero will be 31 and still in form to play at a high level, but what of Angel Di Maria, Higuain, Serio Aguero, Javier Mascherano? By all accounts, Aguero and Mascherano are done with the team. Higuain is going to be 30 and is likely the villain for Argentine fans. Di Maria is often injured and will also be 30 by the time the World Cup is up. It is feasible that these elite stars will simply not be able to keep up their top form when the 30's hit. Overall, Argentina's current side is an average of 28 years old; a team with the average age of 30 is too old to be considered a true contender at a major tournament. And there is no guarantee the next generation of players is anywhere close to this good.

His International Legacy

So Messi's legacy and claim to being the sport's best will forever hang in the balance because he could not win a final for Argentina. Say what you will about the quality of international tournaments, but he was handed something no one else has ever been given - three chances to make it right.

He failed every single time, with his final hurrah the most ignominious of all.