Messi, Ferraro recalls, was substituted late in that game, and was not amused. “That night we watched the video and the camera caught him: Messi’s face, my God!” he laughed. “’Why are you taking me off, mate?’ it seemed to say. A while after Salorio appeared in my room. He came with Messi, who said ‘I want to apologise for that look I gave you.”

Once that first hurdle had been cleared, Messi and Argentina were simply unstoppable. The Barca youngster scored in every knockout clash as the Albiceleste marched towards the trophy; Argentina’s equaliser against Colombia on their way to a 2-1 victory, their third of the evening as Spain were disposed of with ease, a scorching long-range drive to shock Renan in the Brazil net after just seven minutes. Renato pulled the Selecao back into the game, but Zabaleta stepped up once again to strike in the dying seconds and set up a final date with Nigeria.

Unlike the repeated heartaches that were to come, Messi’s first taste of a tournament decider with Argentina went according to plan. Twice he was summoned to hit from the penalty spot, and twice he obliged as the Africans were defeated 2-1. “It was incredible how he took those kicks in the final,” Aguero recalled years later to TyC Sports, “he hit them as if he were in his back garden.”

Judging the future of any budding star from their feats at U20 level is a notoriously inexact science. The imposing Gabriel Paletta for one looked set for great things and the following year signed for Liverpool, but never followed on his potential at centre-back and now represents Monza in Italy’s Serie C. Ustari was another who never quite lived up to that early billing.