Alejandro Sabella: 'Lionel Messi will evolve into a playmaker'

Former Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella believes that Lionel Messi will evolve into a playmaker, once the forward loses his pace.

Sabella left the role as Argentina's head coach after losing the World Cup final to Germany, but was heavily praised for utilising Messi's club form in the international setup.

"As time passes and he loses that extraordinary, explosive pace, he will become more of a playmaker," the 59-year-old said, according to Goal.com.

"He's so extraordinary that we only know [him as a goalscorer], but can do so much more."

Messi is close to becoming La Liga's top goalscorer after scoring over 400 goals in his 10-year career.