Lionel Messi was barely known among the Argentina squad preparing for the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Hardly anyone had heard of him and even fewer had seen him play. So when a friendly against Paraguay was arranged to allow the Barcelona youngster to join La Albiceleste, curiosity quickly spread through the camp. Just how good could this Leo Messi really be?
Pablo Zabaleta, the captain of that side, was especially curious. Argentina were preparing for the South American Youth Championship in Colombia, hoping to secure qualification for the FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands in 2005.
Under Hugo Tocalli, and later Francisco Ferraro, the squad had spent months training together. Messi was a newcomer, but it took only a few minutes of his first training session for everyone to realise that the stories were true.
He inspired such respect that his team-mates soon stopped diving into challenges during small-sided games or training sessions. Nobody wanted to be responsible for injuring him. Even then, he seemed to be operating on a different level.
Zabaleta has a front-row seat to the FIFA World Cup 2026. As a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group, he travels around North America to analyse matches, identifying trends and preparing technical, tactical and statistical reports on the tournament. But he has also been well placed to assess Messi’s career, having witnessed his rise at close quarters from the very beginning.
At 41, the former defender reflects on the FIFA U-20 World Cup that introduced Messi to a global audience and on his performances at Brazil 2014, when the Argentina captain was often at the peak of his powers. Now 39, Messi is preparing to contest his third FIFA World Cup final and, in Zabaleta’s view, the secret to his longevity lies in his unique mentality.
FIFA: How quickly did you realise just how good Messi was?
Pablo Zabaleta: From the very first training session. We played a lot of small-sided games, and if you were on Messi’s team you were almost guaranteed to win comfortably. I loved it. If you happened to be up against him, though, it was a different story, because he made life very difficult for you. It was a privilege to watch a player with that level of talent at such a young age. He was impressive.
What was his personality like back then?
He was always quite reserved. He wasn’t someone who opened up straight away, which was only natural because he didn’t really know any of us. But little by little he began to gain confidence.
He was sharing a room with Kun Aguero at the time, and that helped him come out of his shell. Eventually he grew into a leadership role and we all started looking to him. Once he realised how much affection there was for him within the squad, and how protective everyone was of him, he opened up.
That pattern continued throughout his career. When he returned to Barcelona, Ronaldinho and the senior players took him under their wing. Later, when he became the team’s leader, he was surrounded by players he had known for years.
In your view, just how dominant was Messi at the 2014 FIFA World Cup?
The other day, before Argentina’s quarter-final against Switzerland, I rewatched Angel Di Maria’s extra-time winner from their last-16 meeting in 2014. The move starts with Messi winning the ball back and driving forward. The speed of his dribbling was incredible. Once he got going, he was almost impossible to stop.
Back then, he could pick up the ball deep, glide past opponents, break lines and carry the team up the pitch almost on his own. He still has the quality to decide matches, whether that’s with a finish from the edge of the area or a pass nobody else can see.
What has inevitably changed is his explosive acceleration over longer distances. At this stage of his career, he manages games differently, but in 2014 he was absolutely decisive for Argentina.
What do you make of that ambition he has to win?
I don’t think players become the best in the world purely because of their technical ability. There has to be something else as well, and for me that’s the constant desire to improve, year after year, regardless of what they’ve already achieved.
His mentality is extraordinary. He’s won almost everything the game has to offer, yet he’s never become complacent. If anything, every success seems to have driven him to achieve even more.
Wherever Messi has played, success tends to follow. Even at 39, and despite concerns over his fitness before the tournament, he’s shown once again how influential he remains. He gives his all and continues to make the difference when it matters most.
He’s in a league of his own. His talent and technical ability are obvious to everyone, but what truly separates him from the rest is his competitive mindset. He’s remained at the very top of the game for more than two decades because he’s never stopped looking for ways to improve. Very few players in any era have managed that.
Courtesy: FIFA
