Return of Aguero lifts Messi’s hopes of Copa glory with Argentina

With Neymar sidelined by an ankle injury, Lionel Messi heads to the Copa América this weekend as the main attraction of the competition, but with a desperate need to end with more than a decade of pain in Argentina.

Messi has always wanted a suitable attack partner so that he can win an important trophy with Argentina and the return of his friend Sergio Agüero has given the nation a new hope of winning the Copa América.

Although ranked third among Argentina's best scorers of all time and has a prolific track record with Manchester City, Agüero has started only 14 games in major tournaments since his debut in the World Cup in 2010. But with Gonzalo Higuain retired, is ready to play A central role in Brazil.

Aguero played his part in memorable triumphs for his country at the youth level, winning twice the U-20 World Cup and claiming an Olympic gold medal with Messi at the 2008 Beijing Games. But he is desperate to win an important international trophy, especially for Messi, who has lost four finals with the national team, losing the last two finals of the Copa America with painful penalties against Chile.

"I'm more excited to win for Leo than for me because he has played for a long time and has suffered a lot," Aguero told Fox Sports.

"Every time I talk to Leo, we always say:" Pray that one day it will happen for us. "It's what he wants and it's what we all want, I put myself in his place and I want to give my best."

Just as Messi could not replicate his excess trophies with Barcelona on the international stage, Agüero also showed a desire to balance his considerable success in City with a prize with Argentina after winning a national triple.

"I feel fit and finished the season well, I have no injuries and I want to do the same with Argentina as with City," he added.

Four finals played with Argentina, four losses, including the last two finals of the Cup in penalties against Chile.

But the most painful was the final of the 2014 World Cup to Germany in the iconic Maracana, where Messi will wait to return on July 7 for the decisive match for the Cup title. That defeat in Germany began a losing streak in Germany . Three consecutive years and, after the last, Messi announced his international retirement.

However, his retirement lasted only six weeks, and it was his hat-trick in Argentina's final classification that secured a 3-1 victory in Ecuador that sent the team to the World Cup in Russia last year.

But, as so many times before, Messi could not recover his form of Barça while he fulfilled his international duties and the sadness continued when the albiceleste was sent home in the second round after a 4-3 loss to the eventual winners of France . But while Messi missed the next six games in Argentina, all friendly, this time there was no talk of retiring.

Argentina faces an overwhelming opening match in Group B against Colombia, but must have confidence in beating Paraguay and Qatar to advance to the quarterfinals. Coach Lionel Scaloni was not the most glamorous choice to succeed Jorge Sampaoli after his unfortunate World Cup campaign.

However, the former defender, who was Sampaoli's assistant, scored six wins in nine friendlies with the team. He has chosen a side that lacks experience, but that contains young players like Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and Inter Milan striker Lauturo Martinez.

Messi has admitted that, unlike the previous Copa América tournaments, his team is no longer the favorite, but that should not affect his ambition.

"There are many new players with few games, but we are going to try to win them as we always have," said Messi. An America's Cup is very important, either in Brazil or anywhere else. Argentina has not won it in a long time. "

Argentina won the last of its 14 Copa América titles in 1993.