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Arguably the greatest and one of the most decorated footballers of all time, 35-year-old Messi enters the tournament still chasing his first World Cup.
And after leading Argentina to Copa America glory and their first major title in 28 years, Messi and co look to have their best chance at getting over the World Cup hump following a heartbreaking loss in the 2014 final and a Round of 16 exit at the hands of eventual champions France in 2018.
There were concerns around the fitness of Messi after he was absent from team training, opting to train individually ahead of the opening match against Saudi Arabia tonight (AEDT), but told reporters today it was nothing serious.
“I feel very good physically, I think I’m in a great moment, both personally and physically and I don’t have any problems,” Messi said at a news conference.
“I heard that they said I trained differently. It was because I had a knock but there is nothing strange [happening]. It was just a precaution,” he said.
While there is considerable pressure on his shoulders given this is a World Cup and Argentina have not won since 1986, Messi seemed to just be enjoying the moment as his incredible career enters its twilight.
“I didn’t do anything special,” he said of his preparation for the tournament.
“I took care of myself and worked as I have done all my career, knowing that this is a special moment, as this is probably my last World Cup, my last chance to achieve this great dream that I have, that we all have.”
All eyes will be on Messi as he looks to add to his international goal tally of 91 against heavy underdogs Saudi Arabia, likely to be Argentina's easiest Group C fixture with Mexico (November 27) and Poland (December 1) still to come.
Group C - Argentina v Saudi Arabia
8:30pm - 11:30pm (AEDT) - kickoff at 09.00pm
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
