Lionel Messi Predicted To Play 7 More Years And Possibly Win World Cup Title
Lionel Messi at 32 is quite an accomplished man - he is a football superstar and he is tipped to remain active on the pitch until he turns 39. According to former Barcelona midfielder Xavi, he expects to see the Argentine play seven more years, and quite possibly, Messi could still win the World Cup for Argentina before hanging his boots.
Xavi is convinced that it's still a long way to go before Messi bids football goodbye. He noted that his former teammate takes very good care of his health so it would be at least half-a-decade more before the Barcelona captain exits the game.
"Messi still has five to seven very good years left. He takes great care of himself and he will be able to go on until he is 37, 38 or 39," Metro reported Xavi, now a football manager for Qatari squad Al Sadd, as saying.
The former Barca star also insinuated that Messi still has a good shot at winning the World Cup. Lifting the prestigious honor is the one thing that is missing on the superstar's collection of awards. He is La Liga's all-time top scorer and he took the Ballon d'Or six times, the last of which was given last year.
Messi has also delivered multiple domestic titles to Camp Nou in his nearly two decades of playing spell with the Catalans, and add to that are several instances of capturing the Champions League title. Xavi believes a World Cup win is still possible for Messi.
Xavi declared: "He will play the World Cup in Qatar [in 2022] for sure."
The Barcelona likewise confirmed that he was in line to take charge of the Spanish giants in January. The club made an offer but admitted feeling at that time that "it wasn't the right moment."
"We had conversations with Eric Abidal and Oscar Grau. I had a very important proposal but I needed a little bit more experience. Training Barcelona are some big words. I want to be there and it's my dream to coach Barca," AS reported Xavi as saying.
But when the time comes, the Barca legend already has a vision of a winning squad. He offered: "Barcelona need players who know how to move in small spaces. I am thinking about player who would adapt to Barcelona and it's not easy to find one."
The manager mentioned Premier League stars Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as possible signing targets, describing the prolific strikers as able to kill the opponents in an open space battle.
Yet the one player that excites him the most is Neymar. Xavi is hoping that the Paris Saint-Germain ace will make his way back to Barcelona soon and possibly under his watch.
"Football-wise, he is among the three or five best in the world. I hope that he returns to Barcelona ... He would add a lot. A positive character. It would be an extraordinary signing to become a difference-maker," said Xavi.