Throughout his football career, Lionel Messi has been known as a man of few words, with the Argentine legend having done his talking with his mesmerizing performances on the pitch.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, he’s just given one of the most revealing interviews of his career to Spanish television channel, La Sexta, candidly reflecting on a number of football figures including Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Pep Guardiola, while also opening up on the events which led him to hand in a transfer request at Barcelona earlier this summer, his future at the club and his immediate future plans.<\/p>\n
Below is a summary of the best bits of his interview:<\/p>\n
Having sent Barcelona a burofax in order to force a move away from the club last summer, Messi gave an insight into his thoughts behind his earlier actions.<\/p>\n
“It was a manner of making a point and expressing my feelings,” he told the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n
“It was me telling the club that I wanted to leave I felt I’d completed a cycle and it was time to leave the club that had given me so much.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to win titles and battle for the Champions League and felt it was time for change. The president then started to filter this and that to paint a negative picture of me.”<\/p>\n
“It was far from easy for me to say I wanted to leave the club and the city. The family wanted to stay here, this is their home but I genuinely felt it was time to go.”<\/p>\n
Barca got off to a bit of a rocky start at the beginning of the season and he admitted that the club is in a ‘very bad’ way.<\/p>\n
“I’m excited even though the club is going through difficult times. These are difficult times, as for everyone,” he said , per the Sun.<\/p>\n
“The club is really bad, very bad, it will be difficult to get back to where we were.”<\/p>\n
Messi is apparently open to talk to non-Spanish clubs at the start of January. But he is inclined to wait until the end of the season to decide his future.<\/p>\n
“Nothing will be crystal clear before the end of the year. I’ll wait until the season is over,” he said, as per Sky Sports.<\/p>\n
“What matters now is thinking about the team, finishing the year well and not being distracted by other things.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know what will happen. I’m focused on what we have here and battling for whatever we can.<\/p>\n
“I’m not thinking about how the year will end. As of today, it wouldn’t be wise for me to say what I’m going to do because I don’t know.”<\/p>\n
He was then asked which sporting stars he admires.<\/p>\n
“There are many admirable athletes. Rafa Nadal, Federer, LeBron – in all sports there is always someone who stands out and is admirable for his work,” the Argentine said, per Goal.<\/p>\n
“Cristiano [Ronaldo] stands out in football. There are many who stand out and always do their best.”<\/p>\n
Messi expressed his disbelief that good friend Suarez was allowed to leave Barcelona for free.<\/p>\n
“What happened with Luis Suarez to Atleti (Atletico Madrid) was crazy!” he exclaimed.<\/p>\n
“He left for free, paying the remaining years of his contract and he joined a team that fight for the same objectives as us. Unbelievable.”<\/p>\n
When it came to Guardiola, Messi was full of praise for his ex mentor, whom he described as ‘special’.<\/p>\n
“He (Guardiola) has something special about him. I don’t know,” he said per Sky Sports.<\/p>\n
“He makes you see things in a certain way in terms of how he prepares for games, both defensively and going forward.<\/p>\n
“He could tell you exactly how the match is going and how you have to attack to win.”<\/p>\n
The Argentine then revealed he wants to play in another league, especially MLS.<\/p>\n
“I’ve always had the dream of playing in another league, in the United States,” he shared. “Maybe it will happen, doesn’t have to be right away. Today I am just focused on these next six months.”<\/p>\n
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