Argentina star Lionel Messi has revealed that the final between his country and Nigeria at the Beijing 2008 Olympics soccer event was one of his memorable football moments.

Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi shoots to score his second goal, during a Group F football match between Nigeria and Argentina at the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 25, 2014. AFP PHOTO

Messi rescued Argentina’s sinking World Cup hopes with a hat-trick against Ecuador last Tuesday. According to Sky Sports Spanish journalist Guillem Balague Messi listed three of his favourite Games and they are the 6-0 win over Serbia in his World Cup debute, the 1-0 win over Nigeria at the Bejing 2008 Olympics and the 3-0 win over Ecuador.

“Messi was speaking after his hat-trick for Argentina against Ecuador. He was asked his best games for his country and he picked his début at the World Cup against Serbia which Argentina won 6-0, and also the final game of the Olympic in Beijing which they won 1-0 against Nigeria, then the game against Ecuador “, Balague said.  Messi has come up against Nigeria twice at age grade level, namely the 2005 World Youth Championship and also the 2008 Olympic in Beijing, and on both occasion he lead Argentina to victory.  At senior level he has scored in three times in the three games he has played against Nigeria, a brace at the last World Cup in Brazil and a goal in a friendly game played in Malaysia in 2012.