The heartland of Russia has been traditionally and historically harsh, rude, unpredictable and, often, ruthless to many of the all-conquering commanders from outside. Napoleon and his invincible Grande Armee suffered their heaviest defeat in history on the Russian soil and that unsuccessful mission gradually led to his fall and the subsequent exile. An overambitious Adolf Hitler's extravagant Operation Barbarossa suffered a disastrous fate just outside Moscow and gradually paved the way for the fall of the Third Reich.

The world's one of the most decorated players, Lionel's Messi quest for the elusive World Cup glory suffered a 'catastrophic' fate inside the Russian territory as well. He might not have faced the unkind winter like his all-conquering predecessors but Messi's Argentina bit the dust in a typical Russian summer.