Lionel Messi must win the World Cup to be Greatest, Says FIFA President Infantino (Details, pics)

FIIFA President Gianni Infantino has said Argentina ace Lionel Messi must win a World Cup if he is to be considered the greatest player of all time. 

Argentina face Ecuador in their last 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday but are far from guaranteed a spot in Russia next year, and Infantino told Argentinian newspaper La Nacion (h/t Football Espana):

“Messi is extraordinary, but he is yet to win a World Cup. There are lots of amazing players who never won the World Cup and that is what made Diego (Maradona) so special in football—winning major titles for both club and country.

"Messi may be there [in Russia], and we may see him in 2022 because he very rarely picks up injuries, even if players try to foul him. They can't get near.”

La Albiceleste lie sixth in the CONMEBOL standings and are still not guaranteed automatic qualification to the World Cup finals with a win should Chile and either Peru or Colombia win in their respective matchups.

Unlike Brazil legend Pele and Maradona, Messi has never won a World Cup, and the closest he has come to doing so thus far was a runner-up finish to Germany in the 2014 edition of the tournament.

Broadcaster Juan Arango provided further quotes from Infantino, who again pointed to the example of Messi's heralded countryman as the shining example to follow.

One might disagree with Infantino, in that a team achievement—or lack thereof when referring to Messi's failure to win a World Cup—shouldn't dictate who the greatest individual player of all time is.

That being said, it's difficult to escape the feeling Messi will be missing one major prize when compared to some of his peers should he retire without a World Cup, and that fate could be decided as early as Tuesday evening in Ecuador.