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Lionel Messi: Brazil legend Roberto Carlos makes huge World Cup claim
LIONEL MESSI would already be a World Cup winner if he was Brazilian.
Sir Alex Ferguson says Lionel Messi could play in any generation
That’s the view of Brazil legend Roberto Carlos, who helped his side to the 2002 World Cup.
Messi came so close to winning in Brazil four years ago but his Argentina side were beaten in extra-time of the final by Germany.
At 30, this tournament could be Messi’s last chance to lift the World Cup though Argentina aren’t expected to be victorious.
But former Real Madrid star Carlos believes Messi would already have a World Cup to his name if he was born over the border.
"If Messi were Brazilian then he'd already have a World Cup," Carlos told TyC Sports.
And while most bookmakers don’t have Argentina lifting the trophy, Messi has the same belief.
“We are not candidates,” the Barcelona star recently said. “We’ve had a complicated process (to get to Russia), we are what we are.
“We have the players and we are fighting hard.
“We have to win against Iceland and that will give us calmness for the rest of the group matches.
“We will have three complicated matches, we should not be thinking beyond those three matches.
“Sometimes in football and at the World Cup logic doesn’t win and there are surprises.”
Argentina head to Russia in search of their third World Cup having last lifted the trophy in 1986.
They face Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria in the group stage.