00:00.
00:05Standing just 5 feet 7 inches in studded boots,
00:09Lionel Messi will be one of the smallest players on display in North America.
00:13But he will bestrive the World Cup like a colossus.
00:19Messi already had claims to the title of the greatest footballer in history
00:23before the 2022 World Cup.
00:25But victory in Qatar gave the Argentine a stranglehold on the mantle.
00:33And now he captains his all-conquering Alba Celeste in his new backyard,
00:39the United States, after mesmerizing Major League Soccer since 2023.
00:48MVP! MVP!
00:50Hey Lionel, felicitaciones!
00:53On behalf of our entire league, all of our country and everybody that loves the game,
01:00here and throughout the world, we are honored to have you in our league.
01:06Messi already holds the record for appearing in the most World Cup matches with 26.
01:10and in North America, he will become the first to feature in six separate tournaments.
01:16He remains as important as ever to his team.
01:22He's important because almost everything goes through him.
01:26The team's attacking play, whether he finishes it or another teammate does in almost every scoring opportunity,
01:32he's usually involved.
01:35Another significant accolade is within reach, with Messi beginning the tournament,
01:40three goals behind the World Cup's all-time top scorer, Miroslav Klose.
01:45At some point, this volume of records and awards will surely end any arguments over Messi's status as the greatest
01:53of all time.
01:57Everyone has his opinion, but nobody can doubt that he's there with the greatest all the time.
02:03For me, I said many times, I've been the best.
02:10If he would not have won the World Cup, the opinion about what he has done for the World Football,
02:16or my personal opinion, that how he's a player would not change absolutely anything.
02:24Those things that Messi has done for World Football are both tangible and esoteric.
02:31There's the record eight Ballon d'Or awards, an Olympic gold medal,
02:36and the only two-time winner of the FIFA World Cup golden ball.
02:42Then there's the manner in which those trophies have been achieved.
02:45The quick feat, the vision, the unrivaled ability to unlock the tightest of defences.
02:54Despite Messi's undoubted brilliance, the criticism hanging over him for the majority of his career
03:00was that he only performed at club level.
03:06Four World Cups delivered only frustration, and the Copa America, too, remained out of reach.
03:12It seemed one of the most magical artists to ever grace the game was destined to leave unfulfilled.
03:21But aged 34, entering the final act of his storied career,
03:26Messi left the home comforts of the Camp Nou for the unfamiliarity of the Parc des Princes.
03:34He went on to star in the 2021 Copa America,
03:37ending the tournament the top scorer and its best player.
03:42He lifted the trophy for the first time in his career in the most fitting stadium imaginable,
03:48Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã, home of arch-rivals Brazil.
03:54Finally, Messi and Argentina dead to dream.
04:02There is a lot of excitement about a positive World Cup.
04:08We won the Copa America.
04:10After trying so many times,
04:13I finally managed to win a title with the national team.
04:18So, after that trophy,
04:20there is a lot of excitement for what is ahead of us.
04:23And that's why we are going to be able to win a big win.
04:29Despite his shock-opening defeat to Saudi Arabia,
04:32Messi guided the Alba Celeste to the top of Group C,
04:36then scored in every knockout match
04:38as Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia and finally France were overcome.
04:44The latter following a gripping penalty shootout.
04:52After 20 years of striving to reach the summit,
04:55Lionel Messi was on top of the world.
05:01I have always said that collective awards are better than individual ones.
05:12And for every player to win a World Cup is the pinnacle.
05:22The record goalscorer in the history of La Liga,
05:25the most recorded assists in football history
05:28and named in the FIFPro World XI
05:31for a preposterous 17 consecutive seasons.
05:36The 2026 World Cup offers one final opportunity
05:40to salute the greatest the game has ever seen.
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