It's Lionel Messi's World Cup And We're Just Living In It

Who doubted him? Not me. But, above all, what a joy-bringer this man is.

I don’t know what Leo Messi’s hat-trick made you think of but it made me think of Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Piqué…. and Joan Lacueva. Plus a dessicated Brazilian.

Back when one Barcelona director suggested that the club not sign Messi because ‘he might make a table footballer but nothing more’ and Charly Rexach insisted on breaking all the club rules about signing foreign kids it was Fabregas and Piqué who inherited the incoming Argentinian who still needed the growth hormone injections which another club member, Joan Lacueva, paid from his own pocket.

Very few people remember the late Lacueva now - but I’ve interviewed his son and talked to him about the generosity of a man who simply believed that the stunted, shy 11 year old kid from Rosario deserved a chance, and was willing to invest in him.

In the Making of the Greatest Team In the World book, which Back Page and I produced, Lacueva remembered: “When Leo first came to Barcelona I would often visit the family in their hotel (in Plaza Catalunya) and, for a couple of weeks, he was pretty scared and desperate to go back to Argentina. What turned things around was his teammates’ reaction. When they played or trained with him they immediately realised how good he was and that affected him in a very positive way.”

Two of those team-mates were Fabregas and Piqué - both Catalan, both very special but, immediately, in awe of Messi. Piqué at first said: “This guy’s going to play with us!!?? “He looks like my little brother!” Cesc admits he at first thought Messi was mute….so shy was the budding genius.

So when Messi scored that briliant hat-trick against Algeria, within a few days of turning 39, my mind turned to the two Catalans. They won everything with Messi in the Barcelona youth ranks but each of them thought that they were being ignored, that they should be promoted sooner and, thus, both left (for Arsenal and Manchester United respectively).

Eventually they were all re-united and won trophies together but Fabregas hung up his boots three years ago while Piqué’s last competitive match is nearly four years back. Cesc is now coaching Como and just blew Italian football society away by qualifying them for Champions League football - an historic first.

Piqué? Bought the Davis Cup, mucked that up, started the hideous Kings League, watched it flourish, began to hate how hard it meant he had to work and, recently, the enterprise made half of its workforce redundant.

Both of the Catalans (who used to amuse themselves as kids by heading down to the beach front at Barceloneta to nick the badges off parked cars) see destiny as something they can grab, maneuver and manage. Each was pivotal in Spain’s (so far) one star - winning in 2010 against Netherlands where the centre-half told me he was going to punch one of the stadium staff so that I could run off with the goal nest and where Cesc provided the winning-goal assist.

But Messi, with whom they and their partners were once touch tight, has left them galaxies behind and is currently demonstrating not just continued genius but a hunger to still be training, competing, dieting, winning and dominating.

Messi’s First Senior Goal - Against Albacete in 2005. I was there to witness it - jaw on the floor.

There are older players at this tournament but to still have the grace, the athleticism, the movement, the agility which Messi showed in Kansas remains astonishing. My favourite of the three (allowed) goals was the tap in - simple for him but the delicate, delicious, cold-blood of the cushioned tap past Zidane off his right instep was ultra-nonchalant.

Messi’s brought such amazing joy to anyone who loves football over the years that you, I hope, were thrilled for him. It’s a neat twist that his three goals were scored past Zizou’s son, born just two months before Zinedine won the 1998 World Cup.

I first met Messi when he was already World Champion at U20 level and when he was a few months away from playing at his first senior World Cup - in 2006 -a year in which Ronaldinho was the best on the planet.

I suppose that my mind turns to ‘Ronnie’ too. He drank and danced his talent away prematurely, he eventually ended up in jail and it was Messi who paid for and arranged his liberty because, as the Argentinian told me, “In my case, breaking into the first team, there was no jealousy at all to cope with - Ronaldinho led the way in looking after me, and so everyone else, without exception, supported me and made me feel welcome”.

Twenty one years later he’s still a walking miracle, the greatest footballer ever, and by a long way in my opinion. Roll on Matchday 2 - more Messi, more magic, more memories.