The Barcelona forward has watched on as rival Cristiano Ronaldo has scored four goals in two matches for Portugal, including a hat-trick against Spain.

But the 3-0 defeat by Croatia means Argentina’s fate in Group D is now out of their hands; they need results to go their way to stay in the competition.

There were reports during the week that Messi has been feeling so down after last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Iceland that he refused to attend a barbecue organised by Argentine staff, instead staying alone in his hotel room.

If Messi’s pre-match actions on Thursday suggested a headache, it will have got worse by seeing Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero’s howler, which led to Ante Rebic’s first goal in Nizhny Novgorod and contributed to Argentina’s heaviest World Cup group-stage defeat since 1958.

Former Barcelona team-mate Cesc Fabregas, providing analysis on BBC One, called Argentina a “broken team” and questioned their team spirit, saying they were “playing against each other, not for each other”.

He said: “It is difficult for Messi. He does not have the quality in behind him and is really missing Ever Banega or Giovani lo Celso.

“He needs someone who can help him build up the play. You want your best player to be on the ball the most as you can.”

Former Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta – who played in the 2014 World Cup final for Argentina – said the side’s failure to “play quicker” has left Messi “isolated” in the final third.

Reflecting on the defeat, Zabaleta said: “I cannot remember a performance like that. The team looks so poor. They were predictable and did not create anything.”

Former England captain Alan Shearer added: “Argentina had no plan and were a complete shambles.”

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Etebo, who joined Stoke City from Portuguese club Feirense for £6.35m on Monday, turned Modric’s first-half corner into his own net after Ante Rebic and Mario Mandzukic had both got touches.

Modric then converted a 71st-minute penalty – Croatia’s first shot on target – after William Troost-Ekong had manhandled Mandzukic at a corner.

Nigeria offered little attacking threat, although Dejan Lovren blocked Alex Iwobi’s shot just before half-time, and Odion Ighalo glanced a Brian Idowu cross straight at goalkeeper Danijel Subasic.

Victory takes Croatia top of their group, after Iceland held Argentina 1-1 earlier on Saturday.

At 33, Modric is facing what could well be his final World Cup – along with striker Mandzukic, who is 32, and midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who turned 30 in March.

The Croatia captain won the Champions League for the fourth time in five seasons with Real Madrid in May, but his run up to Russia has hardly been smooth.

He has become unpopular in his homeland over a saga that has seen him charged with perjury – an offence that carries the threat of jail – for retracting his testimony in the tax fraud trial of a senior Croatian football official.

On the pitch, though, he has managed to put that to one side, and provided the class that guided Croatia to an unconvincing victory.

Both he and Rakitic were excellent in their passing, although the lack of movement among the forwards in front of them often thwarted their ambition.

When Croatia did create chances, it was usually their two creative midfielders who were involved. Modric’s fine early cross was guided down by Ivan Perisic for Mandzukic to fire over, while Andrej Kramaric’s header looped just over the crossbar from a Rakitic assist after half-time.

Rebic, who scored twice as Eintracht Frankfurt beat Bayern Munich to win the German Cup in May, later volleyed a great chance wide from six yards after Rakitic’s sublime pass had freed Perisic on the left.

Modric and Rakitic certainly have the ability to unlock the world’s best defences – but they will need help from those in front of them when they face better teams than Nigeria.

Nigeria’s striking new home kit, dominated by bright green and white chevrons, proved very popular when it went on sale last month – so it was disappointing to see them in their muted away strip for their opening World Cup match.

By and large, Gernot Rohr’s inexperienced team were every bit as subdued as their shirts. Rohr’s side impressed in qualifying, finishing top of a group that included Cameroon and Algeria – but the German coach has travelled to Russia with a squad containing 18 World Cup finals debutants, and the players selected struggled on the big stage.

Etebo, despite his own goal, was one of their better performers, producing an excellent second-half pass out to the right that Victor Moses gathered and rolled wide of the near post after cutting inside.

Moses was a threat when delivering set-pieces, although his tendency to go to ground easily when challenged did him little credit.

Ighalo, on his 29th birthday, was isolated as a lone striker – his header from Idowu’s cross, in the 59th minute, was the first of just two efforts on target by the Super Eagles, although new Brighton signing Leon Balogun went close to heading in from a Moses corner at the start of the second half.

Arsenal forward Iwobi failed to make a significant impact, and Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho was unable to inspire a comeback when appearing as a substitute – leaving Rohr to fathom just where his team’s goals are going to come from.

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