Lionel Messi, awarded the Ballon D'Or accolade on Tuesday for his exploits with Barcelona and Argentina, has certainly proved he can handle the pressure.

It is more than four years since Diego Maradona lauded the man from Santa Fe as the player who should inherit his own mantle as national footballing hero and Messi, unlike several would-be successors who flattered to deceive, has gone from strength to strength.