Messi, Ronaldo and the burden of the one-man team

By Peter Jenson, dpa

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been blessed with so much but both may also curse having not been born into a more talented generation of international team-mates.

The 1986 World Cup in Mexico will go down as the tournament won single-handedly by Diego Maradona but most Argentines would agree that team from 28 years ago is far superior to this one.

And after the passing of Portugal's golden generation Ronaldo's predicament is similar to Messi's - he stands alone without peers in Paulo Bento's team.

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella was asked after his team's narrow extra-time win over Switzerland in Sao Paulo on Tuesday why when the Swiss had three men marking Messi, Argentina could not take advantage of having men over elsewhere on the pitch.

The coach dribbled around the question in much the same way as Messi had around Belgium defenders Ricardo Rodriguez and Valon Behrami in the first half at the Corinthians Arena, but there was no avoiding the harsh truth.

Argentina's rivals can afford to put three players on Messi because the rest of the team poses a limited threat.

Sabella mourned the absence of an Arjen Robben or a Franck Ribery in his team - a winger who would force the opposition to defend deep opening up the space for Messi.

He has little faith in Ezequiel Lavazzi who he took off in the second half and he needs his most effective winger, Angel Di Maria, to play in midfield because there are so few options there.

Newell's Old Boys' Fernando Gago and Javier Mascherano, who has played the last three seasons as a defender at Barcelona, are the mainstays there and there little strength in depth.

For Portugal the choices are just as limited with the team over-reliant on Ronaldo because they have no other choice.

Without his four goals against Sweden in the World Cup qualification play-off, they would not have been at the World Cup at all. Because of his lack of form and fitness in Brazil, they went home early.

Messi is still standing however. There is no Sergio Aguero to play alongside him after his tournament was ended by injury and Di Maria will have to continue playing in midfield.

Asked about how tired and forlorn Messi looked at times on Tuesday, Sabella said: "I never saw him like that. I am glad I didn't. I thought he looked fresh."

He was fresh enough to race away and set up Argentina's 118th minute winner. Argentina now need that energy to last for three more games.