2016: Messi retires after fourth final defeat
In the summer of 2016, it felt like there was a curse on Lionel Messi and Argentina. 
The forward missed a penalty in a shoot-out defeat to Chile in the final of the Copa America, extending his country’s wait for silverware to 23 years and leaving a distraught Messi in tears.
There was further pain to come when Messi announced soon afterwards that he would retire from international football, saying “I’ve done all I can” after four final defeats.