Hours remained before the final between Spain and Argentina, and someone asked Donald Trump, president of the United States, which team he was leaning toward. His answer was not the typical diplomatic response one expects from a head of state.
“I will not lean either way, but it is very difficult to bet against Messi”, he said, making it clear that neither politics nor neutrality can overcome the respect commanded by the Argentine captain. It was not an exact prediction: Messi and Argentina ultimately fell to Ferran Torres’s lone goal.
But the remark remained there, floating as proof that even at the White House they know how to recognize the best when they see him play.