BUENOS AIRES: After a spectacular haul of trophies with Barcelona, Lionel Messi has a chance to lead Argentina to glory on the World Cup stage and build on his reputation as one of the all-time greats.
The four-times World Player of the Year has won a glittering array of club silverware and has established himself as one of the finest footballers to grace the game, but some believe he must win the World Cup before he can be hailed as a true great.
Many others believe, at the age of 26 - he turns 27 during the tournament on June 24 - he already has.
Messi is inevitably compared with Diego Maradona, who inspired the nation to victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and will travel to Brazil with considerable expectation on his shoulders.
A lot will depend on how well he copes with the pressure and whether he shrugs off an out-of-character indifferent spell towards the end of the Spanish season.
“The team is looking good and we are getting on well together but in a World Cup anything can happen, it is very difficult,” Messi said in the build-up to the finals.
“The games at the World Cup are totally different. First of all the atmosphere is not like anything else. While the Champions League is great, the World Cup is special.”
Messi is hoping to be 100 percent fit in Brazil having had a difficult 2013 due to a series of hamstring injuries. “Apart from the obvious down side, it was good for me physically to have a two month break,” Messi said.
“I was very relaxed working at the Argentine FA facilities. Then after that I went home to Rosario and worked hard there as well, so everything was good.” REUTERS
