Of the many, many contentions around the Club World Cup, few have quite matched the qualification process for one team in particular. Joining a field of continental champions and some of the best performing teams from around the planet is a side who have never won their domestic league nor a top-level international trophy in their brief history.

There will be a time, said Lionel Messi’s friend and former Argentina team-mate Sergio Agüero, when football (soccer) in the United States will be divided into two periods: Before Messi and After Messi.