Pekerman on the moment Messi’s World Cup legend began

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, July 6 : Twenty years before Lionel Messi became a World Cup-winning icon, Jose Pekerman sent a shy 18-year-old on for his tournament debut with Argentina in cruise control and a conviction that every minute on soccer’s biggest stage would matter.

With Argentina 4-0 up against Serbia and Montenegro in Gelsenkirchen, he sent Messi on to the field in the 75th minute, convinced he was not simply introducing another gifted youngster, but beginning a journey he believed would one day make this player one of the game's defining figures.

Messi rewarded that faith within minutes, setting up Hernan Crespo for a goal before becoming the youngest Argentine to score at a World Cup as the South Americans completed a 6-0 rout.

Yet Pekerman says the cameo was never about chasing another goal in a match already won, downplaying criticism for keeping Messi on the bench for much of that tournament.

Every appearance, however brief, was part of a longer plan to expose the teenager to the unique demands of the World Cup, he said, convinced those early experiences would shape the player he was destined to become.

"For me, every minute was important, because I had no doubt that over the next 10 years he would be fighting to be one of the best players in the world," Pekerman told Reuters in an interview.

"It was important for him to get used to a more professional, more demanding level of soccer, to let his talent grow along with his experience."

Twenty years later, Messi, now 39, has won the 2022 title and appeared in six World Cups, with 30 matches played and 20 goals scored in the tournament - more than any other player. He is also Argentina's oldest World Cup scorer.

"It is a beautiful story, and I enjoy it very much," the