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Argentina legend's top 10 best games for his country as he turns 35 from freeamfva's blog

Argentina legend's top 10 best games for his country as he turns 35

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner sent records tumbling at Barcelona and, while he has not yet peaked at PSG, remains a talisman for his countryTo get more news about XemBD, you can visit xembd.cc official website.

The opposition may not have been the toughest, but Lionel Messi nevertheless gave everything in a stunning performance to destroy Estonia on June 5 as an all-time great gave another exhibition of his remarkable ability.

All of Argentina's goals in a convincing 5-0 win came via the Paris Saint-Germain wizard, who became just the third player in national team history to hit as many in one match – and the first since Juan Marvezzi all the way back in 1941.

Messi is accustomed to turning it on when he puts on his nation's shirt, as he once did in club colours at Barcelona, but which were his very best games for Argentina? On the day that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner turns 35, GOAL takes a look through the years to find La Pulga's greatest hits...One of Messi's greatest virtues as a player is that he is not just one of the best in scoring goals, he can also set up his team-mates with ease.

The Copa America Centenario semi-final against hosts United States showed off to perfection those two facets of his game.

Not only did he find the net with an outrageous free-kick effort, he also set up another two goals in a 4-0 rout to send the Albiceleste through to the final.Qualifying for the World Cup out of the CONMEBOL region, despite Argentina's relatively simple passage this time round, is almost never a straightforward prospect.

In 2011, the Albiceleste had made a distinctly underwhelming start to their campaign, losing for the first time to Venezuela and then dropping points at home to Bolivia. A visit to Colombia followed, and Alejandro Sabella's charges feared the worst when Dorlan Pabon fired the hosts in front just before half-time.

Colombia had been well on top before the break but, led by Messi and helped by some savvy tactical changes on Sabella's part, Argentina came out a different team, levelling through the new national team captain before Sergio Aguero clinched three points seven minutes from time.

Not only did that game put Argentina back on track, but it was also the beginning of Messi, Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain's partnership up front, a potent trident that would fire them to the brink of World Cup glory within three years.More than five years had passed since Messi's last knockout goal for Argentina when Lionel Scaloni's men lined up against Ecuador in the quarter-finals of the Copa America. But while he left it late, the strike truly proved worth the wait.

The Barcelona ace had pulled all the strings for his side throughout the game, playing in both Rodrigo De Paul and Lautaro Martinez for their goals to put Argentina 2-0 ahead. Then, in injury time, it looked as though he would have the chance to add his own when Piero Hincapie appeared to commit a penalty on Angel Di Maria.

A VAR check eventually changed the decision, giving Messi a free-kick on the edge of the box. But it did not change the captain's task much, as he dispatched a glorious effort to notch Argentina's third and round off a brilliant all-round display.



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