Lionel Messi must wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the 2014 World Cup final.While the Paris Saint-Germain star might have put to bed many of his demons by finally winning an international trophy with Copa America glory last summer, that night at the Maracana must continue to bug him.Yes, conquering South America and adding the Finalissima trophy for good measure is no mean feat, but we can all agree that lifting the World Cup is the pinnacle for any professional footballer.
2014 World Cup final
After all, there are some supporters who would argue that Messi can't possibly be considered the greatest male player of all time until he gets his hands on that iconic golden trophy.
Lest we forget that fellow GOAT claimants such as Pele, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo Nazario, Franz Beckenbauer, Zinedine Zidane and more can all call themselves World Cup winners.
And what makes Messi's case so painful is that he did everything right: playing a superb tournament that saw him win the Golden Ball as Argentina came within a nose hair of glory.
It wasn't until Mario Gotze's dramatic extra-time winner that the dream started to die in a game that brings back 'what could have been?' memories such as Gonzalo Higuain's miss.
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Messi's chances vs Germany
Even Messi himself had a couple of chances to conquer the globe for Argentina with many fans still reminiscing on the moment that his second-half shot in the penalty area flashed past Manuel Neuer's far post.
However, far less remembered but just as important is the free-kick that Messi lined up after Argentina had actually gone 1-0 down in what represented a final chance to save the day.
It was infinitely harder to score than the earlier opportunity, but you just got the sense that if anyone could pull the rabbit out of the hat when Argentina needed a miracle that Messi could.
Football - Germany v Argentina - FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 - Final - Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 13/7/14
Argentina's Lionel Messi looks dejected
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl Recine
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Drury commentates on Messi's free-kick
And that very moment has been relived in recent days courtesy of the World Cup's official social media accounts, sharing the footage with none other than Peter Drury in the commentary booth.
The legendary broadcaster seems to be loved more and more with each passing week as his poetic commentary over key moments in big games consistently rack up thousands of retweets and 'likes'.
But rest assured that Drury has been weaving his words of magic for years now with Messi's free-kick in the dying embers of the World Cup final proving the umpteen-millionth example of his ability to amplify sporting action to pure cinema.
So, don't just reminisce on a game-changing moment in Messi's career, but do so with the spine-tingling build-up from Drury in your ears by checking out the timeless footage down below:
Just imagine if that had gone in. Just imagine.
What could have been?
You can tell that Drury has one eye on the slim possibility that Messi could beat Neuer from that range with the eyes of the world on his back, delivering some of his finest ever commentary.
And that really does sum up the genius of Messi because the fact that anyone even considered he could bail out Argentina in near-impossible circumstances is a testament to his unerring genius.
In the end, it proved to be a bridge too far even for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner himself and the electrifying build-up from Drury will forever take on a melancholy, almost sorrowful, ambience.
Football - Germany v Argentina - FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 - Final - Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 13/7/14
Argentina's Lionel Messi (L) in action with Germany's Toni Kroos
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl Recine
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But there is still extra time of a different kind for Messi to play because the 2022 World Cup represents one final shot at achieving what so many people thought he never would.
Maybe this time, to the sweet sound of Drury's commentary, he will indeed pull the rabbit out of the hat. Let's wait and see.