In pure soccer terms, there is probably no argument. The best of Lionel Messi came in the twice-weekly recitals of his genius in a Barcelona shirt between 2005 and 2021. During this marathon spell, Messi was at his sporting and athletic peak, operating in an environment made to measure for him. Few sights in the history of the sport have been finer. But it could be argued that there was something even more glorious in these last few years with Argentina.

Why is this? It might be because playing for a national team can hit deeper, and the emotional burden of representing a soccer-mad country such as Argentina inevitably adds weight. But it is also because Messi's international career is much more than a tale of natural talent. Instead, it is a story of one man's quest to overcome obstacles and change things within himself in order to dribble around frustration and achieve lasting success.

More than 21 years have passed since Messi first wore the Argentina shirt in a competitive game. He was called up for the South American Under-20 Championships, held in Colombia at the start of 2005. At this point, even Argentina did not know a great deal about him. He had already been based in Barcelona for four years, had appeared in a few games for the first team, and there were rumors of something special. Spain wanted him, and that was enough to spur Argentina into action. They got their man -- or at the time, boy. He was 17, two years younger than everyone else and seemingly half as high.

Messi cut a most unimposing figure. But once he got out on the field, it was soon apparent that the rumors were not only justified, but that they had also undersold the talent. Two things stood out. One was the way that the ball was glued to his left foot, the way it was part of him, an extension of his will. The other -- the ability which enabled him to play such a magnificent World Cup at the age of 39 -- was his appreciation of space, his awareness of where to go and when to go there in order to hurt the opposition. He was clearly a phenomenon, and, together with his great friend Sergio Agüero, a few months later he took Argentina to triumph in the FIFA U20 World Cup in the Netherlands.