Lionel Messi has won nearly 40 trophies for club and country in an illustrious career but the Argentine forward’s glittering resume has one major omission – a World Cup winner’s medal.
The debate over the greatest of all time is one that will never be settled, but there is no doubt the diminutive playmaker is a true great of the modern era with seven Ballons d’Or to his name.
In the eyes of many Argentines, he ranks a close second to the late Diego Maradona who led the South American nation to World Cup glory in 1986. But that could change if he inspires one of the pre-tournament favourites to glory in Qatar.
Maradona did not achieve as much as Messi in his club career but that magical run to the title in Mexico conferred on him immortality and a place in the history of the football-mad nation.