A month ago I let it be known what I wanted to see during the World Cup — “A World Cup that features, at last, the genius of Lionel Messi. A World Cup, taken over by Messi, in the way that Diego Maradona took over the 1986 World Cup and led Argentina to victory.”

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Paul Gardner is a contributing writer and columnist for Soccer America Magazine's "Soccer Talk" column and blog on www.SoccerAmerica.com.