Euro 2012: Why Stars Shine or Fade on the International Stage

It's one of the odd phenomenons in soccer today that the game's two biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, regularly underwhelm on the international stage for Argentina and Portugal, respectively.

Why?

Frankly, I'm not entirely sure, but I do have a few theories as to why certain players either raise or lower their level of play on the international stage. As always, feel free to share your theories in the comments.

Familiarity

For players like Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo, who are a primary focus of their team's attack at Manchester United and Real Madrid, playing with countrymen they are less familiar with must be tricky.

Club teammates know the tendencies of each player in and out. Countrymen have an idea and know how the national system is run, sure, but a deeper understanding of each player's habits, strengths and weaknesses can often elude teammates on the national stage.

Think of it as an extended version of an Olympic team in basketball, and you get the general idea.

My guess is that it is less an issue for players who operate as facilitators rather than finishers. Sure, perhaps they play center midfield for the club team and are asked to play as an outside midfielder for their country. But in either scenario, their roles remain similar, and they aren't as much at the mercy of their teammates to cater to their strengths or weaknesses.

It's a theory, and it obviously doesn't hold true for all players. Brazil's Neymar is fantastic for the national team, for example. But that leads me to point No. 2.

Style of Play

What winger wouldn't want to play Brazil's pressing, possession-dominating and offensive-minded beautiful game? 

Club teams have the ability to pick and choose players that will best fit the system put in place by a manager or can find a manger best-suited to utilize the all-star teams being built by a club's ownership. National teams operate with less flexibility. Most countries have a style of play that they've developed over years of play, regardless of that country's top players. While those players are certainly familiar with that style, it doesn't always suit them. 

National teams will make tweaks depending on the roster at hand, sure, but with less time spent playing together, developing a strong, familiar national system is important.  

So sure, Arjen Robben may not have to make major adjustments to his game between Bayern Munich and the Netherlands. And for some players—think Germany's Miroslav Klose—the national team's system perhaps better suits their style.

But for others, they become a square peg in the round hole the national team tries to put them in. At least for Ronaldo, he will be back at his more familiar place on the wing at the European Championships. With a role that better suits him, he should be effective in this tournament.

The Tendency to Press

As amazing as you might be in club play, you'll never be a true legend in your country until you lead your national team to glory. That leads to pressure, and for many of the game's top players, that makes them press, play outside of the system or simply wilt under the pressure.

Perhaps they try to take on one too many players rather than defer to their teammates. Maybe they choke at a key moment. Whatever the case may be, for the game's elite players, the pressure on the national stage can be felt to a different degree.

Can they carry a team like Pele carried Brazil in the country's 1958 and 1970 World Cup titles? What about Maradona in 1986?

If you don't think those questions weigh on the minds of the game's top players, think again. Winning the La Liga title may be a huge deal for Ronaldo, but winning the European Championship for his home country would likely solidify him as the greatest Portuguese footballer ever.

That's huge.

As I said before, be sure to include your theories in the comments. It's something I remain curious about, and I'm interested about any theories you might have about disparities in quality between club and national play for top footballers.

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