By Toby Prince
Injured Barcelona superstar, Lionel Messi, say he does not feel in competition with Real Madrid rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, and avoids answering if he’ll ever leave Barcelona.
Messi was interviewed by UK-based journalist, Guillem Balague, the author of an authorised biography on the forward, and the transcript has been published by Yahoo.
“I still hate losing a game, but when I arrive home I do know that I will have the consolation of seeing my sons,” Messi replied when asked if fatherhood had changed his perception of winning and losing, before the discussion moved to Messi’s changing role at Camp Nou.
“We will carry on doing it always according to what is necessary for each game. There are moments when it is necessary to track back to help with the transition of the ball and other times where you are needed to go forward into goal scoring situations.
“(People say competing with Ronaldo has driven him…) These are things that people say. I don’t compete with Cristiano and I suppose he would not compete with me. What I want is the very best for my teams and that’s what I am working for.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead. I live for the moment and at this moment I am with Barcelona in the Spanish League where I have made my living and where I live very well.
“I don’t need to impress anyone because that isn’t why I play. I play because I like it and because it is my profession even though to tell you the truth, I would like my sons to understand what I do.
“(The injury against Las Palmas) was strange feeling, different from other times. I knew that it wasn’t a minor hit and that it was something more serious than just a slight knock.
“(I feel) upbeat, wanting to get on with my recovery. Being injured is the worst feeling in the world for a sportsman, but right from the start I accepted that I had an injury and that the only thing to do was to recover from it the best way possible. The most important thing for me is to be at 100% fitness.
“I am improving every day without setting myself any targets. I have always said that I don’t set myself any dates because it isn’t up to me.
“As much as I would like to play tomorrow, the doctors wouldn’t let me. When they tell me that I have recovered completely will be the time that I will make my return onto the pitch.”
