5 reasons why Lionel Messi will be effective for 5 more years

#4 He hasn't even flinched while there has been a deterioration of quality around him

A whole story in one photo

Barcelona, under Pep Guardiola, had several warehouses worthy of world-class talent running about at the Camp Nou. The holy trinity in the centre- Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets, the unequivocal quality up front owing to the likes of Ronaldinho, Messi, Henry, Etoo etc. made the Catalonian club the team everyone wanted to beat.

When Xavi bid adieu, Barcelona had Messi, Suarez and Neymar providing the muscle up front and we all know how that went. But now that Neymar has left for (debatably) greener pastures and Luis Suarez, at best, looking like an unimpressive imposter of his former self, Messi has all the more workload dumped on him.

The fact that Busquets and Iniesta are in the twilight of their careers and are no longer as unfaltering as they used to be is a source of worry to the club. But in spite of all the deterioration in quality around him, Messi has carried on without a hitch.

He already has 12 La Liga goals and 3 Champions League goals this season and on several nights, he single-handedly thrusts his team across the finishing line.

And of course, how can any football fan forget that night in Quito where Messi propelled the storied Albiceleste to the finals of the World Cup 2018 to be held in Russia. A feat that is, perhaps, the greatest individual achievement in the history of World Cup qualifiers.

Sorry, Becks. Gotta hand it to him.

Now how many players who are 30 years old are capable of pulling that off?