5 reasons why Lionel Messi is the standout performer in the 2014 World Cup

Were in the business end of this edition of the World Cup. There have been many brilliant individual performances so far from the usual suspects LionelMessi, Neymar, Thomas Mller and there has also been a surprise package in the form of James Rodriguez.Heres a list of five reasons why Messi is the pick of the lot in this World Cup.

#5 He is carrying both hopes and grudge of his nation on his shoulders

While Messi is the darling of the masses worldwide, the people of Argentina are not fully behind him as they feel that Messi does not respect the National team jersey like the other players do. They would rather have Tevez in the team as he bears the identity of Argentina.

As Jeff Himmelman stated in the New York Times: “A Central fan named Juan Yacob, who took on an expression of great physical bereavement when asked to speak about Messi. “Messi’s footballing life was developed in Europe,” Yacob said, with a dismissive sniff. “No one can doubt his ability,” Yacob said. “But with Messi, you’re not going to sell anything to a Rosario Central fan.”

This sums up Argentina’s opinion on Messi; they dislike him for leaving Argentina too early and not singing the national anthem before matches. This resentment towards Messi was evident in the match vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, when Argentine fans started booing Messi after he skied a free-kick over the cross-bar.

In the same match after scoring his first goal in the World Cup after 8 years, the crowd started getting behind him. Messi has finally started to deliver for his country. So, this World Cup is the make or break tournament for him to finally start winning accolades for Argentina.