Messi is magic but not yet immortal.

The torrent of superlatives that have engulfed Lionel Messi this past week have surpassed anything that has been said about the Argentinian before. They have arrived like a twitching, effusive crowd bellowing them out one at a time, each trying to upstage the last. Sid Lowe of the Guardian believed only profanity could best sum up his genius, My immediate reaction when he wrestled clear on the halfway line last Sunday before shimming, scuttling and then rattling was to lean back from the edge of my seat- I could not remember edging there and puffing out my cheeks. There were no words.

That, however is never much of a problem for the Barcelona president Joan Larporta. In the aftermath of Messi's wonder show at Zaragoza, the soon to be ousted Laporta crowed that Messi is "the best player in football history. To me next in line is Johan Cruyff and Maradona." This of course should be taken with a large dollop of salt. The two players Laporta mentions also conveniently played for Barca. He omits Pele and Real's De Steafano. But perhaps he should be cut some slack for displaying child-like glee. But now the question is being asked. Does Messi already deserve his place on the pantheon alongside the greats?

The answer is no, not yet. Messi is the best player in the world at the moment, despite the presence of a bulldog named Rooney. He is player who bully's little teams and is the difference against the big ones. He combines feather and force. But to establish himself in history he must dominate in South Africa. It is the one flaw on the masterpiece. He looks ordinary for Argentina. That is not all his fault, the supporting cast, the rabid expectation and the lets say eccentricities of the coach all combine to render the best to look like the rest. But Messi must adapt in South Africa. He must find his role in blue and white. He must inspire the way Maradona did in Mexico. Do that and the superlatives become redundant. The greatest shall suffice.