But beyond his numbers, what led Messi to win the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player was his overwhelming influence on Argentina’s attacking play and his positive leadership of his team-mates.

What Argentina thinks of its leader

“He’s obviously a leader in football terms, but when he speaks he uses the right words. And what he conveys to his team-mates is something I’ve never seen in anyone else. It’s incredible. I can talk about it but you have to experience it. What he transmits… How his team-mates look at him, the admiration in their eyes.”
Lionel Scaloni, Argentina manager

“He deserves [to be world champion] more than anyone. He’s my idol. He’s the best of all time.”
Enzo Fernandez, midfielder and winner of the Best Young Player award at Qatar 2022

“You always learn when you’re playing with him by watching what he does, although we know it’s very difficult to try to copy his skills. He’s always been my idol, so when I’m playing I try to do my best to help him.”
Julian Alvarez, second highest goalscorer for Argentina at Qatar 2022

“Just a few minutes before, we talked about how things were going. He said: ‘They’re dropping deep, so give it to me through the middle’. Spaces were opening up behind and he’d spotted it. When we had the opportunity, I gave it to him. My pass was rubbish, but he always finds the solution to everything, always.”
Angel Di Maria, on the move that led to the opening goal against Mexico at Qatar 2022