Is Messi on a World Cup run similar to Zidane in 2006?
He's got technical ability and balance, the ball sticks to his feet and he has a sniper of a left foot. The litany of trophies he has collected in his career is a testament to his footballing powers.
One trophy has escaped his grasp so far in his life: the World Cup. This year is his last chance to grab it. His form, age and team resemble what Zinedine Zidane had in 2006. Could the diminutive magician go one step further than the elegant Frenchman did that year?
An aged mastery of football
Argentina have had an efficient tournament rather than a spectacular one. They have navigated the group stage after a shocking opening defeat to Saudi Arabia and have often looked to Messi for moments of magic, particularly in the knockout stages. The squad now seems poised to win the whole thing, and if you were to bet on World Cup 2022 now, you'd see Argentina are now the second favourite at 13/8. Also, you may not even need World Cup bet builder tips to tell you that Messi is tipped to pick up the Golden Ball on 6/5. Wherever Argentina goes is where Messi will take them.
The elusive World Cup looks like it's finally within touching distance for Messi. After the cruel end in the 2014 final, where Mario Götze came off Germany's bench to win his country the World Cup in extra time, Messi could finally reach the last game again. Although he may have been a more explosive and relentless player back then, now he is more cerebral. He can handle teams planning their entire defence around him and pick off what needs to be done, whether that's a final pass or scoring himself. Messi now realises that he doesn't have to do everything himself or waste his energy running all the time. He eases into games, analyses what's around him and then strikes. That's why he already has four goals and two assists.
Similarly, in 2006, it was Zidane's last World Cup. The difference for Zizou was that he had already tasted World Cup glory in 1998 as an electrifying attacking midfielder. In 2006, it was his last tournament and he was set to retire. However, that freed his play, and he, like Messi, dropped deep into half-spaces and controlled the game, springing into life when he smelled blood. Zidane, like Messi now, finished that tournament with four goals and two assists.
Galvanising teammates
What has become apparent in this Argentina squad, even before this World Cup, is how Messi's teammates want to win it for him. Of course, they want to bring glory back to Argentina, but how they defend Messi, support him, and do all the extra running so he can work his magic shows how much they believe in him. The squad is talented, but not as much as a team like Brazil. They have a belief and a desperate need to win Messi his first World Cup; they don't want to let him down.
In 2006, although the France squad was stacked with talent like Thierry Henry, Claude Makélélé and Patrick Vieira, they deferred to Zidane. His presence carried the team and they all worked extremely hard around him. We could see a similar situation where the team does all the running, but the magic from their playmaker's foot takes them to the final.
Hunger
Zidane was hungry for another World Cup. To end your career by winning that trophy would have been legendary. However, having won it before may have allowed his focus to shift into a moment of madness that resulted in his infamous dismissal. Messi won't take his eye off the prize. Not this time. Not after 2014. They may share the hunger between them, but Messi may just have that little bit more, having not won the competition before.
Messi and Zidane are two of the most complete, gifted and decorated footballers ever. Their mesmerising control of a football has inspired generations. To see Messi go on to win the World Cup, and go one step further than Zidane did in 2006, would delight fans across the globe.