Lionel Messi: From shy genius to 'bad boy' leader – his Qatar transformation

The closest Messi had travel to winning the World Cup earlier 2022 was an extra-time decision by Germany successful the 2014 tourney successful Brazil

When Lionel Messi won the World Cup astatine the 5th and, seemingly, last effort successful Qatar past December, it was the past jigsaw portion successful arguably the top footballing CV of each time.

Behind the scenes and past connected the biggest stage, Messi's translation successful the Middle East became evident.

The 35-year-old's genius has agelong been beyond uncertainty and debate. But his quality had changed. As a teenager, Messi was truthful painfully shy helium would get changed successful the corridor to debar his team-mates successful the Barcelona younker set-up.

"This World Cup helium was different," said Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

• WATCH: Lionel Messi: Destiny

"We are astir apt much assertive than the players successful the nationalist teams he's played with before. So he's astir apt becoming a small much similar america - that atrocious boy."

Here, immoderate of the stars from the recently-released BBC Sport documentary Lionel Messi: Destiny, unpack and dissect that last improvement of Messi - from shy teenage genius to talismanic "bad boy".

"He's a large lad but helium can't adjacent nonstop traffic. How tin you springiness the nationalist squad to Scaloni?"

Diego Maradona's typically colourful thoughts regarding Lionel Scaloni's assignment to the Argentina manager occupation successful 2018 captured the temper of the nation.

Putting it bluntly, Scaloni was a Lionel Messi assignment - a deliberate determination by the Argentine Football Association to support a generational endowment onside and successful the side.

In the years anterior to Scaloni's appointment, Messi had a troubled narration with the nationalist squad and, astatine times, with the nationalist boss.

After a talented Argentina squad was comprehensively beaten by Germany successful the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, Maradona, then-Argentina coach, criticised Messi's enactment qualities.

A fiasco of a 2018 World Cup run brought an aboriginal exit for Argentina and different manager successful Jorge Sampaoli.

Sandwiched successful betwixt was 2016, a twelvemonth which saw Messi briefly discontinue from planetary football aft missing a punishment successful the Copa America last decision by Chile.

Such set-backs ensured that the fig 1 information for the Argentine FA successful appointing Scaloni was to support their fig 1 prima happy.

"The FA had a azygous objective, to find a manager who could enactment with Messi and get the champion retired of him," said Messi biographer Guillem Balague.

"When Scaloni took implicit helium said to Messi, 'what bash you think, what would enactment for you?'.

"It was an adjacent conversation, and you person to bash that erstwhile you person the champion subordinate successful the world."

Argentine writer Marcela Mora y Araujo added: "He was appointed without monolithic property sum oregon a presumption infinitesimal - determination seemed to beryllium small vigor to spell hunting for large names.

"Most radical were furious. We didn't cognize overmuch astir him. The thought was that the occupation should spell to a shot personage oregon influential character, and it conscionable went to a feline who was benignant of anonymous."

Messi and Scaloni, who were some players successful the Argentina squad for the 2006 World Cup successful Germany, were reunited for the 2022 campaign

However, it was that anonymity, small-town humility and deficiency of ego that endeared Scaloni to the Argentina squad - and crucially, to Messi.

"Scaloni's precise relaxed," Argentina and Manchester City guardant Julian Alvarez said. "Very honest, and helium has that happening of coming from a tiny town. I besides place with that a batch due to the fact that I besides travel from a tiny town, and you tin spot that quality prime that helium has."

Martinez added: "You're ever going to person talented players, but it's however you negociate them. It's similar having a Ferrari - if you don't cognize however to thrust it, past you're going to clang connected each corner. That's the lone mentation I tin springiness for Scaloni - helium knows precisely however to thrust a Ferrari."

Creating a location from location successful Qatar

Looking aft what was nether the bonnet was captious to support Messi - and yet the Argentina squad - blessed successful Qatar.

Despite leaving Argentina arsenic a teenager, Messi has held connected to overmuch of his Argentine roots and specifically his hometown Rosario.

"He speaks with an Argentinean accent, eats Argentinean food, watches Argentinean films and listens to Argentinean music," said Jonathan Wilson, writer of Angels With Dirty Faces - a footballing past of Argentina.

Scaloni and the Argentine FA were fastidious astir leaning into those location comforts for Messi and his team-mates, creating a "little Argentina" astatine their World Cup basal astatine Qatar University.

Early successful the Scaloni reign, immoderate of the younger players bonded with Messi by knocking connected his edifice doorway and asking him to play the Argentine paper crippled of Truco.

That aforesaid crippled was ubiquitous successful Qatar on with Argentine beverage called mate, and, much importantly, asados (barbeques) with imported Argentine beef. It was reported the squad brought successful 900kg of the nutrient for their campaign.

"I deliberation for each Argentina people, if you person mate and a beauteous barbeque you don't request much successful life," said Messi's erstwhile Argentina team-mate Pablo Zabaleta.

According to some Balague and Mora y Araujo, these techniques ensured Argentina got the champion retired of Messi, transporting the apical subordinate successful the satellite backmost to a puerility near down erstwhile helium moved to Barcelona aged conscionable 13.

On the pitch, the echoes of that puerility were astir intelligibly heard during the quarter-final triumph implicit the Netherlands.

Dutch manager Louis van Gaal had questioned Messi's work-rate disconnected the ball earlier the match. It was a determination that angered his team-mates and added substance to a historical enmity betwixt the pair.

"Attacking Leo... you shouldn't bash that to Argentines," Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister said.

Messi's feelings spilled retired successful the 73rd infinitesimal of the quarter-final. Messi celebrated Argentina's 2nd extremity by lasting successful beforehand of the dugout, cupping his ears to seemingly mock Van Gaal's erstwhile comments.

Messi and erstwhile Argentina planetary Juan Roman Riquelme are present adjacent friends.

Before though, during Riquelme's solitary play astatine Barcelona successful 2002, the narration was much 1 of adulation.

Riquelme's erstwhile cause once recalled a teenage Messi "sitting looking astatine Riquelme arsenic if helium were Jesus Christ" astatine a barbeque arranged for Barca's South American players.

Mora y Araujo suggested Messi's solemnisation against the Netherlands - 1 which Riquelme has performed passim his vocation - besides reflected Messi's historical vexation astatine his person being played retired of his accustomed presumption during his clip nether Van Gaal astatine Barcelona successful the aboriginal 2000s.

"It was astonishing coming from Messi," she said. "The motion to Riquelme was unexpected."

Whatever the information of the celebration, it was not the extremity of Messi's combativity.

After the match, the Argentine guardant confronted Dutch adjunct Edgar Davids connected the sidelines and successful the passageway helium interrupted his ain unrecorded TV interrogation to insult the Holland "number 19", arsenic Messi called him, Wout Weghorst.

"In the passageway connected the mode to the changing rooms - 'the fig 19', arsenic helium calls him, walks by," Mora y Araujo added. "Messi interrupts the interrogation to say, 'go distant silly, what are you looking at?'.

"Messi's transportation was precise spontaneous. It has Rosario intonations, it's thing someone's grandma mightiness say.

"It's intelligibly not mild choler he's expressing."

Balague suggested Messi "reacted successful a mode that, adjacent helium himself, did not recognise".

To recognize the outburst it is indispensable to spell each the mode backmost to Messi's puerility successful his hometown of Rosario, 185 miles (300km) northbound westbound of Buenos Aires.

"There is an borderline to Messi astatine the World Cup, and that is to bash with the radical helium has got astir him and him feeling comfy with that.

"Because erstwhile helium was 12, helium was astir apt similar that successful the streets.

"Then erstwhile helium moves to Barcelona helium has to beryllium a antithetic person, much Catalan, much distant, much quiet.

"But helium had that successful him.

"It's not that helium became Maradona. It was the Rosario successful him that appeared successful the World Cup successful beforehand of our eyes."

Both Mora y Araujo and Balague constituent retired that the insult Messi chose for Weghorst - "bobo" - is simply a connection that lone "kids use".

And Martinez agreed with Balague successful suggesting the alteration was akin to a kid falling successful with the incorrect assemblage astatine school.

"We are astir apt much assertive than the players successful the nationalist teams he's played with before," helium said. "So he's astir apt becoming a small much similar america - that atrocious boy."

Messi and Martinez (lying down) would decorativeness the World Cup with idiosyncratic awards for the champion subordinate and champion goalkeeper respectively

For Wilson, Messi uncovering his dependable was arsenic overmuch astir the players that weren't there.

The beingness of large talkers specified arsenic Javier Mascherano successful erstwhile Argentine teams meant Messi wasn't needed to execute that role.

But successful Qatar, determination was a vacuum.

Journalist Christian Martin was embedded successful the Argentine campy passim the tournament.

Both helium - and Messi biographer Balague - were struck by however Messi filled that vacuum, from arsenic aboriginal arsenic the archetypal match.

A shock 2-1 decision by Saudi Arabia near 1 of the pre-tournament favourites facing a imaginable aboriginal formation home.

Historically, aft specified a setback, Messi would walk the slightest clip imaginable amid the gauntlet of microphones successful the media 'mixed zone' players are obliged to locomotion through.

"It took him an hr to spell done the mixed portion aft Saudi Arabia," said Balague.

"He was saying 'we're amended than this'."

Martinez added: "He spoke to each azygous broadcaster and repeated the aforesaid sentence: 'Believe successful us, we won't fto you down. Stick with us.'

"It was a precise beardown condemnation by Leo."

Zabaleta said: "I deliberation we truly enjoyed Messi, being a due leader, but successful a bully way.

"In hard situations helium was the lone 1 talking, helium didn't privation to nonstop immoderate of the inexperienced players retired to the media and that was large to see."

This willingness to beforehand up, successful the property and connected the transportation specified arsenic successful the Holland crippled led to articles galore connected the conception that Messi had go "Maradonised" and had recovered his "inner Diego".

But Mora y Araujo disagrees with the thought that Messi was channelling, oregon becoming, Maradona. Rather, helium was, possibly finally, comfy successful his ain tegument - a acold outcry from the teen carrying the value of his family's fortunes astatine Barcelona oregon the superstar weighed down by a nation's expectations astatine erstwhile World Cups.

She said: "There was a batch of smiling connected the pitch. His caput was up. He was confident.

"He showed and transmitted an acceptance of himself. There was nary awkwardness successful delivering his awkwardness if that makes sense.

"People were texting and writing, 'has Messi been taken implicit by the tone of Maradona...? Maradona speaks done Messi…' No! He hasn't turned into Maradona. He has grown into himself.

"For galore years determination was tremendous unit connected Messi to perform, oregon to be, oregon to behave to immoderate nebulous request to beryllium much Argentinean, to beryllium much passionate, to beryllium much similar Maradona.

Messi, who turned 19 astatine the tournament, was an unused substitute successful Argentina's quarter-final decision against hosts Germany astatine the 2006 World Cup

"I deliberation for a agelong clip helium was uncomfortable with that.

"The main observable happening astir Messi astatine this World Cup was a comfortableness successful his ain body. Less unit to perform. More comfy being himself."

Comfortable successful himself. And comfy with the stakes.

"I deliberation helium indispensable person felt the enactment of past connected his shoulder. He indispensable person felt clip closing successful connected him," said Wilson.

According to Mora y Araujo, dealing with the timepiece ticking down connected his vocation was Messi's top feat successful Qatar. For a period helium was capable to kept calm, without dulling a ferocious tendency to win.

"That's a precise absorbing combination. At the 2006 World Cup, helium famously sat connected the seat and didn't adjacent get to play successful the quarter-final decision by Germany.

"There was a grouching, tantrum-y, child-like absorption truthful astatine likelihood with the Messi we saw successful Qatar.

"It is simply a large progression to a constituent of affectional maturity.

"And I deliberation it's fantastic to spot that maturation implicit a vocation of astir 2 decades."

Did Messi travel of age? Did helium transmission the precocious Maradona? Did helium rediscover a property near down successful the backstreet games of his hometown of Rosario?

Whatever was going connected successful Messi's caput successful the Middle East, it helped realise his sole absorption - the winner's medal.

"I deliberation aft this World Cup - helium completed football," Martinez said.