Argentina vs Brazil: Leo Messi and Epic Friendly Clash Will Outshine Euro 2012

All the football talk after Euro 2012 starts will be about European players, but Lionel Messi will remind fans that he’s still the world’s best in an international friendly against archrival Brazil.

The only major criticism that Messi has faced in his career deals with his inability to perform on the international stage. Against Brazil, he will face those knocks head on and put on the best performance of the day. 

The Argentina vs. Brazil friendly will compete with Netherlands vs. Denmark and Germany vs. Portugal, as both European Championships group matches are on June 9 as well.

With several world class players on the pitch that day, Messi will still be the talk of football by the time highlight reels are released. 

The Argentine is undoubtedly the best player on the planet. He has already won the FIFA Ballon d’Or three times and somehow managed to top himself with a goal-scoring tear this season.

He set the European club record for most goals in a season in all competitions with 73, breaking Gerd Muller’s 39-year-old mark (the record setting strike is shown below). 

But his team, Barcelona, ultimately had a disappointing season as they failed to win Champions League or La Liga. This may make it easy to forget that Messi is the best player in the world if Cristiano Ronaldo has a fantastic Euro 2012 tournament.

Ronaldo was not far off Messi’s goal scoring pace, finishing with 64 goals in all competitions and helping Real Madrid to a La Liga title. With a fine showing for Portugal, he will be a serious contender to take the next Ballon d’Or award.

Messi will not let that happen, and he will strengthen his campaign for a fourth straight award by putting on a great performance to lead Argentina over Brazil. The heated rivalry will provide added motivation for the attacker. 

A Brazil side that is much weaker than it has been in previous years will also aid him. The Seleção are coming off a poor outing that resulted in a 2-0 loss to Mexico. 

The drama of the European Championships cannot be equaled, but for a brief moment, Messi can steal the limelight for himself. He will not waste this opportunity and fans can expect him to be in sublime form when he takes the pitch on June 9.