Lionel Messi tipped to break 'many more records' before retiring

Former England international Kieron Dyer says Lionel Messi will ‘break many more records’ before he retires - even if he has to drop into a deeper position to do it.

Messi reached the pinnacle of his brilliant career by leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, becoming his country’s record goalscorer in the process.

It was the only major trophy that Messi was missing in his career, and he was at the forefront of the success with six goals during the tournament.

The Paris Saint-Germain star is now 35-years-old and speculation surrounds his future, but Dyer says there is no reason we can’t still expect brilliant things from him.

Speaking about Messi on 90min's World Cup Show, Dyer said: “He doesn't have to rely on pace. That's why I think he can go on for another two, four years at the top, top level where he can say ‘okay, I broke every goalscoring record. I'll break Kevin De Bruyne's [assist record]. Not like I'll give him a run for his money.“

Messi certainly wouldn’t be the only player to have moved further back in his career as his years advanced. It’s a trend that Dyer says we have seen for years.

“It's been proven,” he said. “You look at Rio Ferdinand as centre half and once his legs go, he phases out of the game. People like [Paul] Scholes, people like Wayne Rooney didn't rely on pace. Steven Gerrard, they slowly start to go further back in positions.

“He could be a midfielder who gets the ball and just assists for fun. He's that type of player.

“He’s got 98 goals now for Argentina. He's going to get into the 100 Club in there. He's obviously seen Ronaldo get 800 goals. He’s not that he's not far behind. Then he wants to break the Champions League record. There’s going to be many more records that he's going to set before he leaves the game.”