India, July 8 -- There are World Cups won by great teams, and then there are World Cups seized by one man until the tournament itself begins to look like an extension of his will. Diego Maradona did that in 1986. Lionel Messi, having already won his World Cup in 2022, now appears to be walking towards something even more dangerous: not just repeating El Diego's miracle, but perhaps bettering it.

The comparison was once unfair to Messi. Qatar 2022 was his crowning achievement, but it was not a solo conquest. Argentina were complete, balanced and emotionally welded together. Julian Alvarez ran himself into history, Angel Di Maria turned up in the final like he always does, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez gave the midfield legs and c...