Today Lionel Messi turns 28, the peak of most athletes' careers. To this point, Messi has built quite a resume, putting himself in the conversation for not only being the best player in the world, but also possibly even being the best of all time.

Because of that, a lot is expected of him. Especially in his national colors where there is a conception that he is not a great player.

There looms this idea that while he dominates for Barcelona, Lionel Messi simply cannot put together a great run of games for Argentina. How much of that is true and how much of it is false?

The raw numbers seem to do a lot of the talking. Messi has never won an international trophy for his nation despite being in two finals (the 2014 World Cup and 2007 Copa America). He has played 100 games for his nation, fifth all-time, and yet he is still not the top leading scorer for Argentina. While he is second, his 0.46 goals per game is inferior to six other players that rank among the top 10 in Argentina's list. Among them is all-time leading scorer Gabriel Batistuta who had a whopping 56 goals in just 78 games.

However, it would be unfair to pin a lack of production on Messi. He is La Liga's all-time goal leader and he holds every record imaginable for Barcelona.

It can be argued that the circumstances simply do not relate.

For the longest time, Messi was Barcelona's main man up front. He played behind the striker often turning into a false nine at times and providing tremendous offensive support in the middle. Over time he has adapted his game and has played deeper in the midfield, even playing on the wing this past season.

His offense has not dropped despite these changes, but then again Messi is also facing pedestrian defenses many times. Moreover, Spain's league is not known for its structured defense, but for its rampant attack.

The same cannot be said in South America. The systems employed are far stingier and more physical. In this Copa America, Messi has scored just one goal, but he has been subjected to more roughhousing that he takes in Spain. The spaces are more compressed, the marking more rigid and as was the case against Uruguay, the pace is far slower.

The defenses are not the only difference affecting Messi's production. Lately, he has been employed in a variety of positions in rather idiosyncratic systems that do not always take advantage of his skills. He was subjected to a 4-4-2 early on in his Argentina career before having to deal with a woeful 5-3-2 at the start of last year's World Cup that left him rather lonely up top. Eventually the team morphed into a 4-1-2-1-2/4-3-1-2 hybrid with Messi playing more like an attacking midfielder behind the two strikers. He scored two goals and spurred Argentina's offense.

More recently, he has been played on the wing in a 4-3-3 and has been solid overall, production withstanding.

How good has Messi actually been in the Copa America?

He leads all players in shots per game and is far and away the best dribbler in the tournament, a distinction he also held in the World Cup last summer. His shots per game could be a troubling stat, especially when considering that his conversion rate is extremely low (one goal on a penalty), but that has come down to bad luck and good goaltending.

He has been among the key contributors in terms of keeping possession, averaging 63 passes per game and converting 86.2 percent.

In reality, Messi has been solid for Argentina, adapting to a role of facilitator and less of a creator or finisher. For the last few years, that has been his role and he has adapted to it well. Argentina may not have won a title under his tutelage, but few would claim the team to be poor.