Lionel Messi will step onto the field at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday with history at his feet. Defending the World Cup is rare enough, but captaining a nation to back-to-back wins is undeniable.
Messi is the successor to Diego Maradona, Argentina’s previous World Cup-winning captain and still regarded by many as the greatest player the game has ever known, a claim that weakens every time Messi breaks new ground.
