India, July 21 -- On Saturday night, Argentina and Lionel Messi stood on the brink of history. Leaving aside the controversies that followed their run, La Albiceleste had reached a second consecutive World Cup final and stood a win away from becoming the first team in 64 years to successfully defend the title, joining Brazil's legendary side of 1962.

Even defeat would not have erased what Argentina had achieved over the previous month, the resilience they showed, the late comebacks they scripted and the brilliance Messi continued to summon at 39. Yet, by the end of 120 minutes at MetLife Stadium in New York, the conversation had shifted dramatically. Instead of discussing Argentina's courage, much of the focus turned to their increasingl...