Back in 1986, Diego Maradona lifted Argentina above eight very evenly matched quarter finalists.
Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory and made that team special in the same way that Lionel Messi is doing now for this generation.
This time, Argentina look pretty average, if they did not have Messi you would say they have no chance of winning the trophy. Why they were so many people’s pre-tournament favourites is anyone’s guess. Maybe they were just star struck like the rest of us.
But Messi takes Argentina to a different level and, with him in their line-up, you would probably make them favourites to beat Holland in the quarter finals.
This was another Messi fairytale. His 1,000th career appearance, the whole stadium came to worship him and he duly delivered with a brilliantly executed goal. His 789th goal in a glittering career.
But what was fascinating about Messi’s opening goal was that it came just two minutes after an Australian defender made the crazy decision to make a tackle which made him angry.
Up until that point, the game had been flat. There was not much happening, Argentina were not making much headway with a team littered with average players. Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero and Julian Alvarez are other exceptions but the full backs are so weak.
It was Dundee United’s 31-year-old left back Aziz Behich who wound up Messi - and then, in the words of Bruce Banner, you wouldn’t like him when he was angry. Messi started the move for the goal, Alexis Mac Allister and Nicolas Otamendi combined and then Messi finished it.
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Mac Allister said: ‘Yes, well, Leo, when these things happens, he brings out that fire he has inside, that personality that becomes even bigger than it is, and in this level of match, he makes himself big.
“Like I say, for us, he's the most important player, he knows it, he helps us a lot and we're proud to accompany him.
“Of course, we know he always tries to his best but we know that when something happens to him, he has the personality to come out of that, to make that serve him and to somehow play better, so we're very happy with him.”
Brighton midfielder Mac Allister’s dad Carlos played with Maradona for Argentina during his playing career. Messi overtook Maradona’s record of eight World Cup goals when they beat Australia and is now just one behind all-time record holder Gabriel Batistuta who has ten.
The debate still goes on as to who is the best ever. Messi has made a strong case. But in Argentina it is just about whether it is Messi or Maradona. Everyone else seems irrelevant.
MacAllister added: “Yes, we always have this discussion, for my father Maradona was very important, not just in his career, but in his personal life.
“He was very grateful for that. For me, it's a source of pride to be alongside Leo, and play with him and for me obviously he's the best in history.
“It's a discussion we always have, he says Maradona is the best in history, for me it's Messi, but I don't think it's a discussion we'll finish!”
Surely Messi has to win the World Cup to match Maradona. Alvarez put Argentina 2-0 up against the Aussies but they came back and Craig Goodwin’s 20 yard shot took a wicked deflection off Enzo Fernandez.
Argentina were hanging on by the end. That is not the mark of a great team. They just about had enough. But Messi always gives them hope.
