Messi test in World Cup final could seal O'Reilly's future role at Man City

Nico O’Reilly will line up against Lionel Messi in the World Cup final on Wednesday night, a match Manchester City are watching closely as they weigh up the 19-year-old’s long-term position at the club.

O’Reilly came through the City academy primarily as an attacking midfielder, but it was Pep Guardiola who converted him into a left-back — a decision that reportedly left his academy coach stunned. The gamble paid off spectacularly. Last season O’Reilly scored both goals in the Carabao Cup final and was named Young Player of the Year, before earning his England debut in the autumn.

In his first major newspaper interview after that international call-up, O’Reilly was candid about the steep learning curve of defending at the highest level. “The defending side was the bit I had to get used to because I wasn’t familiar with it and had to learn it,” he said. “I had a lot of help from Josko [Gvardiol], Ruben [Dias] and all these leaders in the team but it’s learning on the job because as a midfielder you’re not used to going 1vs1 against the best attackers in the league.”

The education has been rapid. O’Reilly has already come out on top against Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka, and Noni Madueke in the Premier League, and was named the best player on the pitch as City beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. He has cited Everton’s Iliman N’Diaye as the toughest opponent he has faced so far — a verdict that may be revised after Wednesday.

O’Reilly had just turned one when Messi appeared at his first World Cup, and the final is likely to be the only occasion the two share a pitch. City’s coaching staff believe the encounter could be instructive. The club had originally planned to use O’Reilly in midfield last season, and the player himself has said he expects to move there eventually, describing himself as a natural No.8.

Yet his instincts in one-on-one situations and his ability to emerge from defensive duels with the ball have made a compelling case for keeping him at full-back. If he can contain Messi on the grandest stage in football, City may decide that the position he never intended to play is precisely where he belongs.