Argentinian national treasure Lionel Messi stands alone at goalscoring pinnacle | Pablo Iglesias Maurer

There stood 38-year-old Lionel Messi by the penalty spot, poised for yet another flashbulb moment in a career already overflowing with them. Just a few days removed from his first World Cup hat-trick – one that had thrust him into co-ownership of the all-time tournament goalscoring record – Messi had been gifted an opportunity to notch his 17th goal and stand atop the mountain alone. Calmly, coolly, he approached the ball. And then he missed the goal entirely. Messi is far from perfect and he’s missed dozens of penalties over the course of his glittering, 22-year career. This one, though, felt different, in no small part because of the off-field difficulties the Argentinian is presently navigating. Messi’s camp put out a statement last week announcing that his father, Jorge, is “going through a health situation”, understandably offering little more detail. It has led to rampant speculation, particularly in Argentina, where one television reporter resigned after falsely reporting Messi Sr’s death . Jorge Messi is a formative figure in his son’s life, maybe even more than a typical parent; Messi’s first coach, his confidant and, for the entirety of his career, his agent. Messi approached the precipice of the goalscoring record again a quarter of an hour later, bringing all of the stadium to its feet with a nifty, dizzying run in the box. His finish, though, was cleared off the goalline. Moments later, he was dispossessed. …