Ronaldinho hopes 'little brother' Lionel Messi fulfills lifelong dream by spearheading Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup glory

Barcelona icon Ronaldinho hopes his former teammate Lionel Messi spearheads Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory. Messi's La Albiceleste take on France in the World Cup final onight (December 18) at the Lusail Stadium.

Former Blaugrana player Ronaldinho is hopeful that Messi would triumph with Argentina, saying (via Telefoot):

"For me, Messi is a brother, a little brother. ... All he needs is this World Cup, and I hope he can make this dream come true."

Messi is yet to win the illustrious trophy with Argentina but could do so in what's likely to be his final FIFA World Cup appearance.

The 35-year-old had enormous success alongside Ronaldinho at Barcelona, winning the La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey. His club career is stacked with accomplishments.

The legendary forward has also triumphed on the international stage, winning the 2021 Copa America. However, one accomplishment that still eludes him is the FIFA World Cup. That could change tonight after he inspired La Albiceleste to the 2022 final with a phenomenal performance in the 3-0 semifinal win over Croatia on Tuesday.

Messi scored from the spot and provided a brilliant assist for Julian Alvarez's second as Argentina advanced to the final for the sixth time. It will be the sixth major international tournament final for the Paris Saint-Germain attacker.

Argentina face a France side in impressive form heading into Sunday's final at the Lusail Stadium. Both teams have won five and lost one of their six games in Qatar.

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Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol on facing Lionel Messi at FIFA World Cup

Lionel Messi (left) was too hot to handle for Croatia.

Lionel Messi was at his imperious best in the semifinal win over Croatia on Tuesday.

He smashed a brilliant 34th-minute penalty past Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. However, his assist to Alvarez in the 69th minute earned the most plaudits.

Messi bamboozled Gvardiol with tremendous trickery to break free of one of the FIFA World Cup's rising stars before sending Alvarez through on goal.

Gvardiol commented on the experience of playing against the iconic forward days after the semifinal defeat. He said (via the Mirror):

"It was a nice experience even though I played against him in the club last season. He is a completely different type of player in the club and in the national team. I am glad that I played against him even though we lost."

He added:

"It's a great experience, and one day I'll tell my kids that I played against the best player in history. I guess we will beat him next time."

Gvardiol's Croatia finished third, beating Morocco 2-1 in the third place playoff.