Messi: Time is right to end Argentina's title drought

The one thing Lionel Messi hasn't achieved in his illustrious, record-breaking career is a major title with his country. There's the gold medal he won with Argentina at the 2008 the Summer Olympics, but in the intervening years, he's narrowly missed out on World Cup and Copa America titles with the national team.

So Messi, who turned 29 on Friday, knows time is running out. He knows Sunday's Copa America Centenario showpiece against Chile - a rematch of last year's final - is a chance that cannot be wasted.

"I don't know if it is my last opportunity (to win a trophy with Argentina), but we have to take advantage of it and take this cup by any means," Messi said, according to Sky Sports. "It's the fourth final that I've played with the national team and I'd like to change the story some day and to become champion."

Argentina famously lost to Germany in extra time of the 2014 World Cup final, and then went the distance with Chile in last year's Copa America, losing out on penalties. It extended the country's drought to 23 years.

Although Messi missed most of the group stage of this summer's tournament with a back problem, he returned to make history in the knockout rounds. He curled an outrageous free-kick in Tuesday's semi-final against the United States to register his 55th goal for Argentina, breaking Gabriel Batistuta's record.

Yet another failure in a final could leave a gaping hole in Messi's legacy, but he insists the team has learned from previous close calls.

"It's been almost a year since the last Copa America, and I think that made us stronger as a group, and as a team," he said. "We grew a lot, in a lot of ways, and above all, even though we didn't win, it helped us."