While Lionel Messi might not be holding the Ballon d’Or award right now, there is simply no denying that the Argentine has more ability to inflict damage on the opponents than any other player in the world.
Despite Argentina not being as strong as France, Germany or Brazil, he carried them to three finals in a row. To put it simply, in the last three international tournaments that Messi played in, his team reached the final.
It could be a fourth time this World Cup as the man who scored 45 goals last season could once again be the beacon on which Argentina carry themselves. And given that that much was enough to award him with the Golden Ball last time around, it could very well be the case this time around as well.