Before the commencement of World Cup 2018, the top 4 contenders were Brazil, Spain, Germany, and France.  But an inspirational Lionel Messi performance saw Argentina qualifying for the Knock-out stages, where they bowed out to a rampant French side led by Kylian Mbappe.

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But what would have happened had Messi won the World Cup this time around? Here are 4 things:

1. A golden generation would have retired for good

Argentina's squad during World Cup 20142014 FIFA World Cup saw Leo Messi and company face off against a rampaging German side. Billed as "the best player vs the best team", the best team ultimately prevailed against the man perceived by many as the reincarnation of God himself.

But that team also included a string of talented players such as Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuain etc. who were instrumental in their side's voyage to the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. 

2. He would not have been labelled a Barcelona player only

Messi has found immense success playing for Barcelona. As once pointed out by Sir Alex Ferguson, many people consider Leo Messi as Barca material, who is only good in a possession-based system. 

The success he has achieved at Barcelona and a series of heartbreaks he has endured while playing for Argentina seem to be a major testament to that. 

3. He would have been the frontrunner for this year's Ballon d'Or

Messi and the Ballon d'OrMessi came into this World Cup on the back of a brilliant Individual season, which propelled Barcelona to yet another domestic double. 

But still, it looks like Messi is going to find it hard to mount a serious challenge for the Ballon d'Or in 2018 because Cristiano Ronaldo managed to win an unprecedented 3rd successive Champions League title.

4. He would have achieved cult status in Argentina

Diego Maradona is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time alongside the legendary Brazilian Pele. 

He was also the joint FIFA player of the century alongside Pele. But the primary reason for that is his exploits with Argentina during the 1986 World Cup.

 He was instrumental in his side's World Cup triumph where he scored or assisted 10 of Argentina's 14 goals in the tournament. Moreover, he won the golden ball for his heroics with Argentina, who were not fancied to win the tournament in the first place.

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