"Lionel Messi on his way to becoming a midfielder," believes former Liverpool star

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer to have ever played the game. A six-time Ballon d'Or winner, Messi's achievements will take some beating. Capable of playing anywhere on the forward line, his dribbling, creativity, passing, and goalscoring abilities are unparalleled.

However, former Liverpool and Barcelona winger Luis Garcia thinks there is more to come from the Argentine.

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

Lionel Messi as a midfielder?

This has been discussed by football fans for a long time. Lionel Messi has played as a forward his entire career. Under Pep Guardiola, he famously played as a false 9. However, his talent is such that it is not hard to imagine him playing a deeper role.

And that is what Luis Garcia believes. Speaking to Barca TV, Garcia stated that Lionel Messi has the skill and ability to adapt to any situation.

"We will see Messi drop deeper on the pitch when time goes on"Lionel Messi in midfield?🤔 pic.twitter.com/HhXJnHv6NK

— Goal (@goal) June 7, 2020

"He has learned to adapt himself and put his talent in the team. We have seen him playing on the wing, playing as a playmaker, as an offensive midfielder. He knows how to optimize his skills in every situation, in every game, every time."

And this is the reason Garcia believes Lionel Messi is going to become a midfielder sooner rather than later.

"We will see Messi drop deeper on the pitch when time goes on, but he will have the same talent and he will be as decisive as he is for Barcelona."

Garcia also stated that he fully expects Messi to be a La Liga and a Barcelona player as long as he wants.

Luis Garcia

Barcelona have gone through a tumultuous season this time. While they are two points ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid, the season has been hampered by their inconsistencies and off-field drama.

They sacked Ernesto Valverde midway through the season. Former Real Betis manager Quique Setien was brought in, after former player and Barcelona legend Xavi turned down the offer.

On the field, apart from Lionel Messi and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, there have not been exceptional performances from any other player. There is also anger at the way money has been spent on transfers.

The signings of Phillipe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele have turned out be expensive flops. While Antoine Griezmann has found his feet, he struggled during the start of the season as well. Rumours suggest that he might be used for a swap deal to bring Neymar back.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, continues to show the world what a player he is. He has 19 goals in 21 starts in the league, while also providing 12 assists. He also ranks top in the side for successful dribbles as well as key passes.

Lionel Messi: Since WhoScored started collecting data from the 2009/10 season, Messi has put in 100 perfect 🔟 performances for Barcelona pic.twitter.com/W9zgSpUHs3

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) October 29, 2019

It will be interesting to track Lionel Messi's career. At 32, he is not getting any younger. It might be an intriguing experiment to see what he does from midfield.

Whatever the case, the best thing would be to enjoy Lionel Messi for as long as he plays.