Lionel Messi has admitted that the World Cup is already on his mind.

According to Goal.com, the Argentine could not help but admit that he and his teammates were already thinking about the big tournament in June.

"We [Barcelona] are taking things one step at a time but, to tell the truth, the World Cup's on all of our minds already," Messi said, according to Goal.com. "But we've got lots of important challenges before that: the Champions League; trying to retain the Liga title; the Copa del Rey ...

"World Cup games are totally different. Right from the off, the atmosphere and the build-up make it different to any other competition," he added. "While the Champions League is great, the World Cup is special."

Argentina has arguably the easiest group to navigate with the likes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria and Iran in competition with the South American nation in Group F. Bosnia is making its debut while Iran is seen as a major minnow in the tournament; the only really competitive side in the group is Nigeria, a team Argentina dispatched in the 2010 World Cup. Despite what most pundits believe to be a "walk in the park" for Argentina, Messi is wary of claiming victory too soon.

"There's been a lot of talk about how easy it's going to be, that Argentina are bound to go through comfortably, but it's a World Cup and there are no easy teams," he said. "If they're there it's because they deserve to be -- there are no straightforward matches at a World Cup."