Tim Vickery

since the Copa America of 1993.

They've now, like that Spain side of a decade and a half ago, they've won a World Cup sandwiched between two continental titles.

It is an extraordinary run of success, exactly at the point where you thought that Messi might give it up.

Part of that is Scaloni, I think, managing... He's a special person, Messi, I think, in that

He's very much a kind of Maradona of the PlayStation era.

And that introverted nature, I think for a long time, it kind of intimidated his teammates.

Because imagine, you get picked for Argentina, all you want to do is win Messi's approval.

And he doesn't say anything.

And when Scaloni took over, he didn't pick Aguero for a while.

And the rationale was that Aguero is Messi's great mate.

He only talks to Aguero.

So, you know, let's drop Aguero.

Let's force him to talk to someone else.

But Messi, this coincided with a time when Messi was starting to fall out with Barcelona.

And I think for the first time, Argentina became priority one, two, and three.

And the Argentine people felt this.

The Copa America in 2019, when they come third, you can see something start to happen.

Suddenly, Messi is becoming the encouraging leader.

And Di Maria, soon after that tournament, he said, you know, I remember Di Maria has been playing alongside Messi a long, long time.

And soon after that 2019 copper, he said to the Argentine media, I like this Messi.