Paulo Dybala: 'I'm lucky to see Lionel Messi up close'

Argentine forward Paulo Dybala has described himself as "lucky" to be able to see Lionel Messi up close.

Messi was the talisman during Argentina's final World Cup qualifier, where the Barcelona star scored a hat-trick to secure his national side's qualification.

Prior to kickoff, Argentina sat in sixth place, outside of the qualifying spots, but Messi's hat-trick sealed a 3-1 win over Ecuador.

Juventus star Dybala, who was an unused substitute in the match, said via the team's Twitter account: "I am lucky to see him and have him so close."

The result meant that Argentina qualified for their 12th successive World Cup.