Not many players can tell the tale of playing against Lionel Messi, let alone during his legendary FIFA World Cup-winning campaign.
But while every member of Australia's 26-man squad for last year's tournament left Qatar with some unforgettable stories, they don't get much more special than encountering one of the greatest of all time.
As we look ahead to the Subway Socceroos' rematch against the reigning World Champions on June 15, Jackson Irvine, Jason Cummings and Mitch Duke share their priceless accounts of taking on Messi in last year's memorable Round of 16 clash.
The Socceroos squad were still coming down from the high of defeating Denmark when Argentina defeated Poland to seal top of Group C, becoming Australia's opponents in the Round of 16 three days later.
As the squad relaxed at their Aspire Academy training hub, they soon began to dream about taking on their next opponent - with thoughts drifting immediately to Argentina's main man.
Looking back on that week, Jackson Irvine explains that all preparation was targetted at building on the immense belief the squad had gathered following their history-making wins over Tunisia and Denmark.
But come gameday, he couldn't help but admire the stature of player he was coming up against - at least for a few moments before kick-off.
“It’s the ‘Messi experience’ - there’s not many people that walk into any room and it's just theirs," said the St Pauli midfielder, who started all of Australia's games in Qatar.
“I remember when he walked into the tunnel, you've got the kids on either side and the media, the referee and everyone's eyes are on him.
“It's just a totally bizarre experience. It's like having an otherworldly figure in the room.”
Once the game kicked off, Graham Arnold's side started brightly - taking the game to one of the tournament favourites.
A flashpoint between Aziz Behich and Lionel Messi, resulting in a free kick for Argentina, would lead to the game's opening goal.
The closest witness was substitute Jason Cummings, who saw it all unfold in front of where he was warming up on the sideline.
In typically comedic fashion, the Central Coast Mariners striker shared what was going through his mind as it all went down.
“I was just warming up and watching the game and stuff, the ball came over to the side I’m on, Messi was there with Aziz and they got in a bit of a tussle," recalls Cummings.
"Aziz is head-to-head with Messi, I was right there and thought 'I've got to jump in for my boy.'
"I remember kind of going over to try to split it up and then I've just looked Messi in the eye and just thought ‘oh, I’ll just leave it, he’s the GOAT.’
"It was a weird one then obviously, being a big fan of Messi all my life, it’s different seeing him in person. Being in the vicinity is surreal, it is almost like he's an alien.
"He’s just a top player, so good, you give him a split second and he does something crazy."
And that was indeed the case.
Seconds after the moment pictured above, Messi was wheeling away in celebration after pouncing on a pocket of space and threading the needle through three outstretched Australian defenders, to slot home the opener in the 1000th game of his illustrious career.
For Mitch Duke, who started the game up top for Australia, one of his key takeaways from the entire experience was the atmosphere created by the Argentine fans who packed into the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
"The Argentinian fans were insane, just with how they support Messi," he said.
"I saw one moment when I was on the pitch we had to defend a corner, he was just walking with the ball to take the corner, and all the Argentinian fans were all praising him he's a god.
“That was just an insane moment, feeling, atmosphere and something I can look back and be like, 'wow, I played in front of that.'
“Individually, it's very hard to not be starstruck in those moments in the fact that like, I was very excited just for the fact of being able to share that pitch with Messi.
"I think any footballer in the world would feel that and not be ashamed - but once you cross that white line on the pitch, you get into game-mode and just see him as another footballer, another opponent."
That certainly turned out to be the case, as Australia pushed Argentina all the way, famously going so close to sending the match to extra time.
The Subway Socceroos are set for a rematch with the reigning World Champions, six months on from their memorable Round of 16, when the two nations meet in China on June 15.