Lionel Messi sensationally announced his international retirement leaving Argentinian football in turmoil after a traumatic penalty shootout defeat to Chile in the Copa America final.
 The heartbroken Barcelona superstar left the field in tears on Sunday after missing a spot-kick in the shootout – Messi’s fourth straight defeat in a major final with Argentina.
 “For me the national team is over,” the crestfallen 29-year-old told reporters.
 “I’ve done all I can, I’ve been in four finals and it hurts not to be a champion.
 “It’s a hard moment for me and the team, and it’s difficult to say, but it’s over with the Argentina team.”
Messi’s dramatic announcement followed Argentina’s third loss in a major final in three years.
 They were beaten 1-0 by Germany in the final of the 2014 World Cup and lost on penalties, also to Chile, in the 2015 Copa America final.
 Messi also tasted defeat with Argentina in the final of the 2007 Copa America.
 Despite a glittering career that has seen him named FIFA World Player of the Year five times, Messi has faced persistent sniping from critics in Argentina.
 Yet he received support on Sunday from Chile’s victorious Argentine coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, who maintained that Messi is the best player ever.
While universally regarded as one of the greatest footballers ever, he has regularly been targeted for his inability to land a major title with Argentina.
 Messi’s failure to match the achievements of Diego Maradona, who single-handedly carried the team to victory in the 1986 World Cup, has often been held against him.
 Pizzi said comparisons with Maradona were unfair.
Maradona has often taken potshots at Messi, criticising him on the eve of the tournament in the United States for a perceived “lack of personality.”
Messi’s bombshell decision comes after a gruelling season disrupted by injury last year.
 He recovered to help Barcelona win the Spanish title once more and was relishing the prospect of leading Argentina at the Copa America Centenario.
 His commitment to playing for Argentina was reflected in his decision to fly from Spain to Argentina for a low-key friendly against Honduras shortly before the tournament, where he suffered a back injury.
 He returned to Spain to give evidence at his trial for tax fraud before jetting off to the United States to join up with his Argentina teammates.
 Although he was injured for his team’s opening group game against Chile, he came on as a substitute in a 5-0 hammering of Panama to score a hat-trick in 19 minutes.
 He then equalled Argentina’s international goalscoring record of 54, held by Gabriel Batistuta, in the quarter-finals before setting a new mark with his 55th international goal in the semi-final win over the United States.
But all that would be pushed to the background because often a player is remembered for his last match. On Sunday against Chile, he was booked for diving and also missed a penalty. Sport can be cruel even to the best of its ambassadors, as Messi learnt on Sunday.