Every football fan knows Lionel Messi is a genius. He has treated us over the years to hours, days even, of wonderfully beautiful moments with a ball at his feet.
Ever since he burst onto the scene as a young 17-year-old at Barcelona it was clear he was special. In Catalunya, Messi would go on to make 776 appearances for the club, scoring no less than 670 goals and assisting a further 302 – so it’s hardly a surprise he swept up a record seven Ballon d’Or trophies in his time there.
His career with the Argentinian national team hasn’t been quite as clear cut, though. Since he was a teenager Messi has been unable to escape the comparisons of him and his hero Diego Maradona.
Maradona famously won the 1986 World Cup for Argentina almost single-handedly, scoring two two of the most iconic goals football has ever seen against England in the quarter-final.