Lionel Messi Says Argentina 'Not Candidates' to Win World Cup 2018

Lionel Messi has played down Argentina's chances of winning the FIFA World Cup this summer, insisting his country are "not candidates" for glory in Russia. 

Messi was speaking after he netted a hat-trick in his team's 4-0 win over Haiti on Tuesday in a warm-up game for the tournament. He praised the backing from the fans in Buenos Aires on the night but admitted he doesn't expect Albiceleste celebrations come the end of the tournament.

"I am very grateful to all the people, we always felt the affection of all, not like other times that we received insults," said the Barcelona star, per Sacha Pisani of Goal. "We all go to Russia for the same reason, the World Cup is the dream of us, of the country. We are not candidates but we are very good, training and improving day by day."

Messi went on to say the prospect of winning Argentina's third World Cup is a "beautiful possibility" but added the focus of the team for the time being is on winning their first game. They start their campaign with a Group D showdown with Iceland.

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

At one stage Argentina didn't look capable of qualifying for the tournament, but a stunning hat-trick from Messi in a must-win game against Ecuador last year was enough to see them secure a finals spot. 

The 30-year-old offered a reminder of what he can do in the game on Tuesday, albeit against modest opposition, per Squawka Football:

Here's the pick of Messi's goals on the night and his excellent assist for Sergio Aguero, per the Argentina Twitter account:

Argentina have endured major tournament heartbreak since the 2014 World Cup, where they were beaten in the final of the competition by Germany.

Since then they've lost two Copa America finals to Chile on penalty shootouts, with Messi missing in the 2016 edition of the competition. Following that defeat, the forward said he was to retire from the international game before eventually reversing his decision.

Given the struggles of the rest of the team and Messi's rescue act in the game against Ecuador, those backing the Albiceleste will be delighted he changed his mind. As relayed by football writer Roy Nemer, the Barcelona star continues to add to his legacy on the international stage:

While Messi has won games for Argentina almost singlehandedly down the years and is still capable of doing so, the issues within the rest of the side make the South American team something of an outsider going into Russia.

Without Messi, Jorge Sampaoli's team slumped to a 6-1 friendly loss to Spain recently, with the team lacking any cohesion. Once again, despite the attacking riches in the Argentina setup, you sense much will depend on Messi if the Albiceleste are going to make a deep run into a tournament.