World's best player would merit a place alongside Diego Maradona and Pele in the game's trinity of immortals if he can lead his side to victory in the Maracana
Lionel Messi is fighting history as well as trying to make it. World Cup finals have become desperately tight affairs: the last six, stretching from Italia ’90 to South Africa 2010, have produced only nine goals whereas the previous six, dating from Wembley ’66 to the Azteca in ’86, wallowed in 27 goals. Defences have become parsimonious. If Messi helps Argentina to become world champions, the 27-year-old rightly deserves to be hailed alongside Pele and Diego Maradona as the three greats of the game.
Argentina’s captain, catalyst and No 10 has actually not experienced the most dominant of tournaments. Far worthier nominees can be found on the Golden Ball short-list such as Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm, Javier Mascherano, Thomas Müller, Neymar, Arjen Robben and James Rodríguez (although Angel Di María’s inclusion is bizarre)
This wonderful World Cup has still not been given the Full Messi, the fabulous flowing force that sweeps through defences in the colours of Barcelona. He must now escape Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira in that central thicket in the Maracana. He must then elude Hummels and then beat Manuel Neuer. If he can overwhelm one of the most confident, resolute and attacking collection of footballers ever assembled for a World Cup, Messi merits all the glowing headlines, all the pages to himself in the history books.
What should particularly encourage the swarms of Argentine fans camping on Copacabana beach, some parked up in petrol stations, others sleeping under palm trees that provide little shelter from the rain, is that Messi is so aware that he stands on the threshold of something truly special.
