World Cup 2022: Ronaldinho says 'Lionel Messi can play until he is 50', explains why

Even though seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi himself has reportedly stated that the FIFA World Cup 2022 final would be his last match in this tournament, Brazil legend Ronaldinho has stated that the Argentine captain can play until he is 50 years old. As the Albicelestes get set to take on Les Blues, all eyes will be on the 35-year-old as millions of fans are likely to watch him for the last time in a FIFA World Cup game.

'He has lot more abilities than others': Ronaldinho on Lionel Messi

When L'Equipe asked him if he expected to see Lionel Messi playing the way he has been at the FIFA World Cup 2022, Ronaldinho replied, "For Messi, this level is normal, isn't it? He has been the best in the world for many years already. It's his last World Cup but I was sure he would come back and do whatever it takes to win it. For me, he can play until he is 50 because he has a lot more qualities than all the others."

Soon after Messi led Argentina to an outstanding 3-0 victory over Croatia earlier this week to qualify for his second FIFA World Cup final, he said that the showpiece event on Sunday against France would be his last match in this tournament as the wait for the upcoming World Cup is way too long.

As reported by the Athletic, the 35-year-old said, "It’s my last World Cup. It is impressive to end up playing a final. There’s a long way to go for the next one, there are many years and surely because of age I won’t get to it." In the same conversation, Messi added that he hopes this Argentina side can perform better than they did in 2014 when they lost 1-0 to Germany in the finals. "Hopefully this time it ends up another way," added the Argentine captain.

As for France, they would be looking to become the first team to win consecutive FIFA World Cups since Brazil did so way back in 1962. If Les Blues do end up winning the tournament, then Kylian Mbappe would become the first since Pele to win a FIFA World Cup trophy in his first two attempts.