Lionel Messi and Argentina were worthy winners of the Olympic gold medal

IF it sometimes seems like Lionel Messi has been around for years, it's because he has. Still only 21, the Argentinian has been with Barcelona since he was 13, when they offered to pay for the growth hormone therapy he needed.

Ever since, the world of soccer has been following his progress as he broke records for youngest appearances and goals at all levels, before bursting into Argentina's senior side three years ago.

It was that precocious genius that made Argentina favourites to retain their Olympic title in beijing, and Messi has delivered in spades.

But a feature of this tournament has been the way this Argentinian team, while having Messi as its heartbeat, has teemed with skill and awareness all over. He has been fabulous, but so have th e team as a whole.

It's not surprising they have played such magnetic, impulsive football - much of the team is the one that in 2005 won the youth World Cup in Holland, and they have grown together on the road to the Olympics.

Messi was voted best player three years ago, but he knows only too well how much the team allow him to do.

Consider the personnel Argentina have called on, and where they play play their club soccer - holding midfielder Fernando Gago is a regular for Real Madrid, striker Sergio Aguero likewise for Atletico Madrid, and the final goalscorer, Angel Di Maria, plays for Portuguese powerhouse Benfica.

Most of this team will graduate - and in some cases already have - to the Argentinian senior side, and a World Cup must surely be firmly in their sights.

Even the oldest of Argentina's three over-age players here in Beijing, captain Juan Riquelme, is only 30 and probably has another World Cup in him.

In short, Argentina could take this side almost wholesale for the next World Cup - and that's discounting existing senior stars such as Javier Saviola, Federico Insúa and Gabriel Milito. They have riches to choose from.

But the real beauty of this Argentinian side is the way they play, an almost obsessive desire to score perfect goals as they pass and pass and pass.

Their technique is flawless which allows them to weave intricate patterns and keep the ball for long spells. Gone is the cynicism and fouling that used to scar their soccer; in the semi-final the fact that Brazil, guardians of the beautiful game, were reduced to nine men after hacking their victors was hugely symbolic.

Argentina are worthy winners of the Olympics, not just as the best team but as the team that played the best, most entertaining soccer.

They attacked from the start, and even in the heat of the final kept going forward. They also defend much better as a unit than previous Argentinian sides, and honour the tradition of building from the back.

If they have weaknesses, it is in defending on the flanks - and in the fact that they like to attack, so in theory it's possible to bite back on the counter. But it takes a special kind of team to do that, and those who just try to hold on - such as Australia did - will eventually be undone.

If this is the future of international soccer then it's a mouthwatering prospect. It has been a privilege to see it unfold.