Barcelona are celebrating their 125th anniversary today and as part of the festivities, club legend Lionel Messi shared a special message, expressing his love and admiration for the Blaugrana.
The Argentina captain was heavily featured in a programme on TV3, which revealed the three finalist songs for the new anthem of Barcelona.
During the show, David Carabén, the commissioner for the 125th anniversary celebrations, engaged in a conversation with Messi about various topics, including the Barça youth academy, the future, and the present of the club.
On the youth talent
When discussing the young players who have come up through the ranks, Messi commented:
“It doesn’t surprise me, they know the club better than anyone else, they are used to playing the way the game is played today from a young age and, when they are supported, these things happen, as they have happened in the past.”
The GOAT. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The Argentina icon referred to the example of 2010, when he, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi occupied the top three spots in the Ballon d’Or rankings, before reflecting on what La Masia meant to him.
“La Masia meant a lot to me. I arrived at the club when I was thirteen and I spent more time there than in my own home, I grew up with the values they taught me, I studied at the La Masia school, where I developed as a player, but also as a person,” he said.
On playing with the best
During his best years, Messi played alongside a remarkable generation of footballers such as Xavi, Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, and Carles Puyol, among many others.
“That’s what it’s all about, it’s easy to say, but sometimes it’s so difficult. It’s what we work on every day, being good with our teammates,” he explained, sharing the secret behind a team filled with talent that goes on to make a lasting impact.
“And I was lucky enough to play with the best players next to me, which made everything easier too. Whoever received the ball not only did it with the same intention as you, but also executed it well.”
Messi further emphasised the need for new signings to adapt in order to shine, saying: “For us, it’s easy because we grew up with it, but for those who come from outside it’s totally different, new, and it takes time to adapt.”
Barça’s most successful superstar. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
“Yes, it’s football, but occupying the third man, occupying space? Those of us from here do it naturally, but we were surprised that players with a lot of quality were arriving and it was difficult for them.”
Continuing, he added: “That’s when you realise that what we did in an easy and natural way wasn’t easy and natural and wasn’t so simple.”
On his best moments at Barcelona
Messi’s time at Barcelona was so extraordinary that when asked to pinpoint a specific moment, he prefers to reflect on a whole period.
His chosen year was the one in which Barcelona won the sextuple, when the team, managed by Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova, conquered everything with an unparalleled style of play so dominant that the question was never whether they would win, but how they would do it.
“It’s difficult to choose three moments in particular, but I’ll choose the day of my debut, because of the sacrifice I had made to change my country, my life completely, and everything in search of that moment,” he started off.
Concluding, he added: “I’ll choose the year of the sextuple, that year I enjoyed every day, the training sessions, the matches, going out to play and knowing how the game was going to end.
“We knew we were going to win for sure, but the question was how it would end. We all enjoyed that year.”
Source: SPORT