Messi threatening Maradona\\\'s benchmarks

As Leo Messi walked off the Porto Alegre pitch following another masterclass, he was grabbed by someone he had just humiliated. Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, however, was not angry. He was beaming, playfully admonishing Messi for the way the playmaker had put two wondrous goals past him.
Enyeama was also clearly referencing the last time the two met. Messi had not just made the goalkeeper look foolish here. He had made amends for 2010, when the Nigerian number one repeatedly performed heroics to prevent the Argentine from scoring. Messi would end up going the entire South African World Cup without a goal.
The debate that drought produced now seems so much further back than four years ago, as well as so irrelevant.
Messi did not even need to beat Enyeama to banish such doubts, but doing so did emphasis the extent of the difference. The 27-year-old's two sublime goals put him up to four for this World Cup as a whole, making him the current top scorer along with Neymar. That duel with the Brazilian would appear symbolic enough in itself, except he faces personal challenges of even greater significance. Messi is now within one goal of the five that Diego Maradona struck in 1986.
That benchmark also raises another challenge, another doubt to banish. The 1986 tournament marks the last time that Argentina beat a European team in normal time of a World Cup knock-out match. In fact, since 1994, they have not defeated anyone other than Mexico in such a tie.- Internet
Meanwhile, Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi said Lionel Messi "is from Jupiter" after the Argentina forward scored twice in their 3-2 win over the African nation.
"Messi is one of heck of a player. He's blessed. You can't take it away from him," said Keshi, whose Nigeria side still qualified despite the defeat.
"There are good calibre players in the team but Messi is from Jupiter."