"I felt we had been robbed, that we deserved to be in the final and we do not have to be part of this show," Messi had said after refusing to take part in the medal ceremony following victory over Chile.
"We don't need to be part of the corruption that we've suffered at this tournament."
Now, two years later, he is back at the scene of his previous fury: and this time, as they say in Hollywood blockbusters, it's personal.
This Copa America, Leo's sixth with Argentina, has ended up in Brazil via a succession of last-minute, curious decisions.