Messi and Argentina came up short in three straight major international finals: the 2014 World Cup and two consecutive years at the Copa America in 2015 and 2016.
"I cried many times because of games like these, for lost finals, for what they mean and for not being able to achieve the dream of a country," the 30-year-old said on Argentinian TV, according to Goal.com.
The five-time Ballon D'Or winner realizes his time is limited: he turns 31 in June, while key players Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria, Nicolas Otamendi and Javier Mascherano will all be 30+ by the time the tournament kicks off in Russia. No wonder he is as hungry for the eluding hardware as ever.
"I imagine being able to be in that game, to win it, to be able to raise the cup. It's the dream I have always had and every time a World Cup comes it gets even stronger."
Argentina will face Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria in the group stage of the World Cup, which gets underway in June.
