World Cup Final: Lionel Messi stands one step from immortality
All observers agree Lionel Messi is supremely gifted, but only by stamping his mark on a victorious final can he join the game's pantheon
Argentina's Lionel Messi will never have a better opportunity to prove he is one of the greatest players of all time than in this World Cup final against Germany.
For all the breathtaking goals and teeming towers of silverware he has accumulated with Barcelona, it is in the World Cup final that the true greats confirm their legacies.
From a 17-year-old Pele in 1958 to Andres Iniesta in 2010, via Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo, football's biggest personalities have bent the sport's biggest occasion to their will.
Judged against the lofty standards that Messi's talent demands, the trophy alone may not suffice
Messi's record-breaking brilliance over the past six seasons at Camp Nou cannot be understated, but until he wins the World Cup, he will never fully stand the comparisons.
In the words of Roberto Rivellino, one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning side: "If Argentina win, he'll be up there with Pele and Maradona, no doubt."
Maradona, in particular, was defined by his World Cup performances and at 27, Messi could not ask for a more perfect chance to emulate his predecessor in the sky-blue and white number 10 shirt.