Just under nine months had passed since Lionel Messi last played for Argentina, but on his long-awaited return, this was not a team reborn.
The Barcelona captain was back amid much fanfare and although many of the players around him were different on Friday, the problems were all-too familiar.
At the World Cup, damaging defeats to Croatia (in the group stages) and France (in the last-16) were bad enough, but put into perspective by the fact that those two teams went on to dispute the final.
Friday’s friendly loss to Venezuela represented a real low, a new setback against a team that has never qualified for a World Cup, includes hardly any big-name players and hails from a nation where baseball remains the most popular sport.
Ahead of the game, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had spoken of the need to “accompany Messi”, to “find a way to get the best” out of his star player. That has been the key question for his predecessors, too.
In Pictures | Lionel Messi returns for Argentina | 22/03/2019
And needless to say, the answer was not found in this match.
Defensive frailties hardly helped. Argentina found themselves a goal down inside six minutes and were two adrift by half-time as their inexperienced five-man back line made Venezuela look like world beaters.
When Argentina reached three successive international finals between 2014 and 2016, their team was built on a solid defence. But that is certainly no longer the case and Venezuela could have scored more.
Meanwhile, Messi was forced to drop deep to get on the ball. One remarkable run in midfield took him past three players and at its end, a perfect curling cross from the left was met by Lautaro Martinez, only for the Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez to make an excellent save.
Martinez headed over from another Messi ball into the box later in the first half, the Inter Milan forward the only other Argentina player who seemed to be on the same wavelength as the Barcelona captain.
Messi started the move for Argentina’s goal in the second half as he led a quick break which was finished off by Martinez, but too often his team-mates gave the ball away cheaply or wasted his pinpoint passing. Substitute Dario Benedetto was particularly guilty in the latter stages, by which time Scaloni’s side had conceded a penalty to go through 3-1 down.
“Messi is the best player in the world and we have to adapt as quickly as possible to him,” Benedetto said afterwards. There is, indeed, not long left, with Argentina kicking off their Copa America campaign against Colombia on June 15th.
On Thursday, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) posted a video on social media to mark Messi’s return. It compared the forward to illustrious compatriots including writer Jorge Luis Borges, Formula One great Juan Manuel Fangio, tennis player Gabriela Sabatini and tango icon Carlos Gardel.
He was, it said, “10 Argentines in one.” But what he needs is 10 Argentines alongside him on the pitch who can help him to do what he does week in, week out for Barcelona.
And even though there are some players to return, this team looks no nearer to success than it has at any point in his international career. If anything, the current side seems further away and the Copa America is just around the corner.
As he reflects today on his return and recovers from muscle fatigue which meant he probably should have rested on Friday, Messi might just be wondering why he bothered coming back at all.