Following his penalty miss in the Albiceleste's frustrating 1-1 draw with Iceland in their Group D opener, all eye were always going to be on the Barcelona star going into this one.
Pre-tournament the game was billed as the one that would decide the group winner, but no one expected Argentina to be left with just one point after two games.
Whilst Cristiano Ronaldo has shone, scoring more goals in two games than in his last three World Cups combined, Messi has once again struggled to produce his club form on the international stage as the burden of being Argentina's go-to man continues to affect him.
Though there have been suggestions that Messi does not care about playing for his country, anyone who knows the man from Rosario has insisted that could not be further from the truth, with reports this week claiming that Messi was so down after the Iceland game that he refused to attend a barbeque organised by the Argentina coaching staff, preferring to lament the performance alone in his hotel room.
It would be easy to point the finger of blame for the Croatia defeat at the feet of goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who made a horrendous error to allow Ante Rebic to open the scoring, but there was plenty else wrong with Sampaoli's side on the night, not least the failure of their talisman to produce.
Sergio Aguero was the only Argentina outfield player to touch the ball less than Messi in the first half, with his 20 touches not producing anything of note.
Meanwhile, Messi has now registered 12 shots in Argentina's two games to date, more than any other player who has yet to find the net.
With Jorge Sampaoli opting for an experimental lineup with effective five attackers and five defenders, it was difficult for Messi to link up with his team-mates, instead he remained on the periphery throughout.
However, unlike at club level, there was never the feeling that he was on the verge of bursting into life.
As the full-time whistle blew, Messi looked nothing short of dejected. He knows that his lack of success with his country continues to hang over him and if Argentina fail to come back from the dead to reach the round of 16, his final chance at personal salvation may disappear.
A humbling exit could see the end of Messi's international career, with the 30-year-old having already called time on playing for his country once, only to reverse his decision.
Now though, with the criticism only intensifying despite his record of 64 goals in 126 games and with him set to reach the age of 35 by the time the World Cup in Qatar takes place, it could well be that enough is enough.