Lionel Messi is set for his last ever World Cup, so can the Argentina great sign off with a victory?

Sparkling, wonderful, magical. Those are just some of the superlatives that have been used to describe Lionel Messi over the past 18 years.

Throughout his career, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has achieved what many players could only dream of. But one trophy has so far proved out of reach: the World Cup.

Messi has faced heartaches at Argentina for much of his career. The 2010 World Cup saw many of his Barcelona team-mates experience glory with Spain after La Albiceleste was knocked out by Germany in the quarter-finals.

The only major trophy that Messi has missed is the World Cup, which he did not win in 2014

Four years later, it was a strike by Mario Gotze in the 113th minute that prevented him from taking the grand prize at the final hurdle, despite being awarded the Golden Ball.

The 2018 World Cup was another one to quickly forget for Argentina. To put it bluntly, it was the Kylian Mbappe Tournament. The Frenchman scored a brace to help Les Bleus beat Messi and Co 4-3 in the Round of 16 before becoming world champions.

Now 35, Messi is well into the final stages of his career and he confirmed last month that the upcoming World Cup in Qatar will be his last. “There’s some fear and nerves at the same time… it’s the last one,” he said in an interview with Star Plus.

For all its grandeur, critics have often pointed to Diego Maradona and Pele’s success in denying Messi’s claim as the greatest of all time. With that in mind, he gets the chance to silence those doubters in what will be his last dance on the biggest stage.

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Diego Maradona (L) and Pele (R) got their hands on the famous trophy during their careers

When Lionel Scaloni took over from Jorge Sampaoli after the failures of 2018, not many people could have predicted what he will achieve next. He took the job in Argentina with no management experience, but has since transformed the South American side.

Argentina enters this year’s tournament after an unbeaten run of 35 games and deservedly become one of the favourites. They ended a 28-year barren run after winning the Copa America in 2021. And to make it even sweeter, that victory came at the expense of bitter rivals Brazil at their iconic Maracana stadium.

While they may not have the high-profile superstars that previous teams had, with Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo de Paul and Lautaro Martinez, they have a strong core more than good enough to challenge the best.

With Scaloni at the helm, Argentina is one step away from relying heavily on Messi. In past tournaments, the team tended to struggle when the talisman had a day off. Now they are efficient on both sides of the field and have the kind of grit they haven’t had in previous years.

“Today there is no team that dominates 70-80 percent of a game. There are times when you have to fall back, work, feel you’re struggling,” Scaloni said.

“The great thing about this team is that it knows how to suffer.”

But Argentina enters this year’s tournament as one of the favorites after toppling Brazil in last year’s flagship Copa America – and at their bitter rivals’ Maracana stadium.

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So can the Argentine icon end his international career at the highest level by winning it?

It will take something very special for Argentina to win their first World Cup since 1986, but in Messi they have just that. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker appears to be at his best after a disappointing season last season.

In addition to Mbappé and Neymar, the trio produces exactly what is expected of them in deadly style. Messi plays a more central role behind Mbappe, contributing with 12 goals and 13 assists in just 17 appearances across all competitions.

But one thing we’ve learned over the years is that numbers alone don’t do Argentina justice. It’s the maze of runs and perfect passes that really make Messi a joy to watch.

However, we have been here before. Argentina has threatened to win the famous trophy on many occasions only to end up under-delivering. But this time there is genuine optimism, in a World Cup overshadowed by considerable controversy, that Messi could prove to be the shining light one last time.

To you, Lionel.