What About Messi?

The entire German team is getting credit for their victory, and one player from Argentina is getting all the blame.

Not Gonzalo Higuain or Rodrigo Palacio, who missed golden chances to take the lead.

Not Martin Demichelis, who lost his mark and allowed Mario Gotze to score.

All the blame is landing on Lionel Messi.

People are saying three things after the final: 1) Messi couldn't win the world cup, therefore he isn't the world's best player. 2) Messi in no way was the best player in the tournament and didn't deserve his award. And 3) Messi didn't win, killing his chances of being remembered as one of the best players of all time. I'll address all three arguments.

To be fair, Messi didn't have his best match in the Final. He really struggled to impose himself, and he missed a great chance to score in the second half when his shot dragged wide of the far post. As time wound down, Germany man-marked him and never let him get the ball.

It's too simplistic to say Messi failed to make an impact in the world's biggest match and therefore he isn't the world's best player. The fact is Messi DID have an impact on the match. He drew the constant attention of multiple German players with every run he made. Messi opened up spaces for Higuain and Palacio and Aguero and Lavezzi. That they couldn't take advantage of the extra space is not Messi's fault.

1) Does this loss mean Messi is no longer the world's best player?

This really shouldn't take much thought. Messi's main competition for the title of "best player in the world" is Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. Ronaldo didn't get out of the group stage.

If World Cup success/failure is the deciding factor, Messi certainly has a better case than Ronaldo.

If you believe Ronaldo to be the best player in the world, go ahead and make the argument, but don't use this World Cup as evidence in your favor.

I'll be happy to point out the man who won 3 consecutive Ballon d'Ors, the man who became Barcelona's all-time leading goalscorer at 24 years old, the man who scored 200 La Liga goals faster than any player in history, and the man who is just 8 goals short of becoming La Liga's all-time leading goalscorer, a record he will break before he turns 28.

Leo Messi is the best player in the world.

2) Did Messi have the best World Cup?

Again, this shouldn't take much thought. Messi wasn't even the best player on his own team in this tournament. That would go to Javier Mascherano, who provided constant protection as the shield in front of the Argentina defense. Pablo Zabaleta also could make a case that he had a better tournament than Messi. The fact is Argentina's defense shined all tournament. They only trailed in a match for the 8 final minutes of their World Cup. The attack only scored 8 goals.

Messi himself played well in the group stage (against some light competition), but failed to score in the knockout rounds. He simply didn't have as good a tournament as his peers, if you weigh the elimination games appropriately.

I wouldn't even put him in the Top 10. In addition to Mascherano and Zabaleta, Colombia's James Rodriguez, Germany's Phillip Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mats Hummels, and Manuel Neuer, the Netherlands' Arjen Robben, Costa Rica's Keylor Navas, and Chile's Alexis Sanchez all could make a real case to say they had better tournaments than Messi.

Messi is still the best player in the world, but he didn't put together the best 7 matches in this tournament. He did not deserve the award he received (and by the look on his face, he didn't want it either).

3) Has Messi missed his chance to be known as the best player of all time?

I think there are two ways to look at this argument. One is, who would be better player if both were in their prime, on the pitch, at the same time? The second, perhaps more appropriate way to view the argument, is comparing players' careers.

There is strong evidence that advancements in fitness methods, nutrition, and technical coaching have significantly impacted the modern game. Basically, the entire pool of players is much better than they were 30 years ago.

One reason Maradona could run circles around players is because the players were easier to run around back then. They treated their bodies poorly and weren't as athletic as they are today. And they weren't coached to tackle as well.

Simply put, the players of today are more athletic, more fit, and coached better than the generations before them. Soccer has evolved. It is much more difficult to stand out as a superstar in the modern era than it was a generation ago.

The very fact that Messi is mentioned in the same breath as Pele or Maradona while playing in this era suggests that if they were able to face off against each other, Messi would be the best player on the pitch. And in that sense, yes, Messi is the best player of all time.

But will Messi have the best career in world soccer history?

This is a tougher argument. Messi already has the best La Liga career of all time, and I believe Messi will have best club career of all time when he hangs up his boots.

For those who view soccer as an Olympic-style event that only happens every four years (looking at you, US media) they might very well think only World Cup champions can be considered in the "greatest of all time" discussion.

This is obviously flawed logic, but it is clear he has not had as great an international career as the likes of Pele, Maradona, or Zidane.

Messi hasn't won a thing at senior international level. He won the U-21 World Cup, and the 2008 Olympics, but has never won the World Cup or the Copa America.

The question therefore becomes how much should international success weigh into the discussion?

Messi's success year-after-year at the club level is unparalleled. His failures at the international level are difficult to ignore (ironically, the woeful coaching of the Argentina team by Maradona 4 years ago has significantly hurt Messi's case in this regard).

Therefore, Messi's legacy will struggle to stand with the likes of Maradona, Pele, and Zidane when it's all said and done. Messi will be classified with the likes of Johann Cruyff, Paolo Maldini, Ferenc Puskas, Michel Platini, and Zico as one of the best players to never win a World Cup. Not a bad group to be in, but not in the top level either.

He does need a major trophy on the international level to cement his legacy. A great first step could happen next year in Chile at the Copa America.  Then again at the Super Copa America in the US in 2016, which will combine 16 teams from North and South America. If Messi can lead Argentina to victories in these tournaments, perhaps he can take momentum into Russia 2018 and win the World Cup.

Messi will be 31 years old in that tournament, which will likely be his last real chance to add a World Cup to his resume. It won't be easy, as South American teams normally struggle in European tournaments.

In all likelihood, by failing to win on Sunday, Messi has missed his chance. Messi probably will not have the best soccer career of all time.

But that doesn't mean Messi isn't the best player the world has ever seen. He just won't have the best resume.