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Lionel Messi says he feels he will one day win the World Cup.

“I more than anyone want to win something with the national team and I’m going to,” Messi told Ole sports daily in an interview published on the opening day of the Copa America.

“A World Cup?” the reporter asked.

“That’s how it will be. That moment will come and I know I’ll enjoy it. I don’t know why, but something tells me I’ll do it.”

Messi, as the world’s best player, has every right to feel it coming.

He has said he wants to win the Copa America with Argentina and that playing at home is a good opportunity. The next goal would be the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

And why not? Unless Brazil build a team capable of ending 64 years of hurt since the 1950 World Cup they lost to Uruguay in the deciding match at the Maracana.

With Neymar fast impressing as a potential successor to Pele and Paulo Henrique Ganso touted as the man to dictate play as Brazil recover their “beautiful” we could be in for a magnificent 2014 tournament.

However, first things first. Messi shone in spurts at the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela while Juan Roman Riquelme pulled the strings with assistance from Juan Sebastian Veron and they went into the final as favourites only to lose to Brazil.

Having also lost the 2004 final to Brazil on penalties, Argentina are determined to lift their first major trophy since the Copa America in Ecuador in 1993 with the generation of Gabriel Batistuta, Diego Simeone and Fernando Redondo.