Xavi: Messi can play for Barcelona until he is 40

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Phil Costa·1 November 2018

Xavi Hernández believes that Lionel Messi is so good, he has the quality to play “until he is 40”.

Messi is currently 31 but still provides Barcelona with magic week in, week out and is showing no signs of slowing down.

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Former teammate Xavi believes he has the mental qualities to play in a deeper role to great effect.

“Sometimes I think that he can play until he is 38, 39 or 40,” he told MARCA. “He needs very little to be able to do that.

“What do you lose as you get older? Your pace? Well he won’t lose his mental speed. Messi is incomparable.

“I think that he would be able to play wherever he wants on the pitch.

“He already drifts into the centre of the field and is effective there, as he is at defending too because he is very strong mentally.”