Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's contrasting international fortunes couldn't be any clearer this summer.
For Ronaldo, he needed just two games to secure a second piece of silverware for Portugal, scoring a hat-trick against Switzerland on his way to collecting the UEFA Nations League crown.
However, Messi had the opportunity to hit back in a big way during the Copa America, which could mark his first trophy for Argentina and a far more coveted accolade than Ronaldo's.
His poor luck with Argentina continued, though, with Messi's side suffering heartbreak at the hands of Brazil in the semi-finals and in controversial circumstances at that.
But even when you take away the role of VAR, or lack of it, the result underlined an ongoing theme with Messi's international career.