Watch: What happens when Lionel Messi plays until the age of 40 in FIFA 17

What’s the story?

Rated at 93, Lionel Messi is the second best player in FIFA 17 after Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the best in the game at 94. While Ronaldo is already on the wrong side of 30, the Argentine, aged 29, is not far behind.

FIFA 17 allows us to look into the future and Dreamteamfc found that one YouTuber, Rich Leigh, used this capability to the fullest and simulated a scenario where Messi played until the age of 40, after which the Argentinian legend called it a day and decided to retire from the game.

In case you didn’t know...

The Career Mode feature on FIFA allows players to start careers with their favourite clubs and lead them to glory season after season. 

In this experiment, Rich Leigh had exchanged Cristiano Ronaldo with Messi at the club level. While Ronaldo retired after five years aged 37, Messi went on to play until the age of 40. 

The heart of the matter

Messi’s attributes are on the wane after the first season itself, and his agility and sprint speed take a hit, however, his rating remains the same. In the following season, the Argentine is 30 years old and his overall drops to 92, which is excellent for a 30-year-old. The decline is caused by drops in agility and acceleration. 

Messi showing a slight decline in his first year post the 16-17 season (Image courtesy-Dreamteamfc)

The Argentine’s rating for the first time drops below the 90s in the year 2020, with 10 and 12 point drops in acceleration and sprint speed respectively. His technique is still stellar with minute drops in ability.

Messi’s rating drops below 90 for the first time in years (Image courtesy-Dreamteamfc)

Aged 36 in the year 2024, La Pulga’s career enters a stage of terminal decline. His FIFA card is rated at a pitiful 72. Acceleration and sprint speed drop to the 20s while composure and attacking position still remain in the 90s.

Messi, in terminal decline, has dropped to the 70s (Image courtesy-Dreamteamfc)

The Barcelona striker finally decides to retire at the age of 40, in what would be the year 2028. Now a pale shadow of his former self, Messi is rated at 57. Acceleration and agility have dropped to such a level that they are now rated at 1. Shockingly, his sprint speed also declines to 1.

Messi’s rating has now dropped to 57 (Image courtesy-Dreamteamfc)

What’s next?

While this is a speculative glimpse into the future, we should keep in mind that Messi is only 29 and has produced the best football of his career in the past few seasons. He is likely to continue in the same vein for a few more seasons like rival Ronaldo who is still going strong at the age of 32. 

Author’s Take

FIFA 17 shows a sad terminal decline for the Argentine forward but it is likely that the decline we will see on the pitch will not be as drastic as the one in the game. Players like Ryan Giggs and Totti successfully adapted their game with age and managed to flourish well into their late 30s.

With a footballing brain such as Messi’s expect a successful transition to a deeper position with age. It is also extremely unlikely that his rating will drop below 80 on FIFA even when he is well into his 30s.