Lionel Messi (Photo : Reuters)
Argentina team captain Lionel Messi wishes to redeem himself and his nation from the sorry 0-1 finals loss to eventual champion Germany during last year's World Cup in Rio. At the Maracanã in July 2014, Germany beat Argentina with a lone goal in extra time courtesy of a Mario Götze left foot to capture the title.
Goal.com reported that Messi said winning the 2015 Copa America would ease the pain of that fateful day in Rio.
"I'd love to win the Copa America for everything it would mean for us after enjoying a spectacular World Cup and coming so close," Messi said in an interview after a team practice in Chile. "We're going into this in better shape than we did at the World Cup because we had a few players injured. It's important for us, and for Argentina because it's been a while since we last won it."
The last time an Argentinian team won the Copa America was in 1993 when Messi just turned six years old. He told reporters that an entire generation is expecting them to win and they are clearly aware that they are the top favorites this year. He noted that the team plans to end their season on a high note by winning the Copa America tournament.
Messi was coming off a successful UEFA Champions League stint where he and his FC Barcelona squad defeated Juventus, 3-1. Another issue that Messi wants to clear up is his countrymen's false notion that he is playing better with his Spanish club than for their nation, as per ESPN.
His home country hosted the last Copa America in 2011, but the tourney was won by perennial rival Uruguay. It was another defeat that Messi wants to forget, so winning this year's tournament would take away two heartbreaking losses in his memory.
