Messi: "Guardiola understands us so well"

Barcelona player Lionel Messi gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Did Guardiola surprise you as a manager?
The word isn't surprise, because everyone knows who Guardiola is, but I do believe that he understands us so well because in the inside it feels like he's playing alongside us.

How would you describe him?
Personally, he understands me well and he knows what each one of us can do. He's an extra player, aside from being the manager. He knows how to get across his experience and everything he went through as a player.

Are you awaiting to become the best in the world or will that arrive eventually?
In reality I've never worried about becoming that, I'm only interested in the best for my team, collecting titles as a team... The individual awards must come and they will. They don't worry me, because that's not what I look for.

How did you remain calm with everything revolving the Ballon d'Or, with the Barcelona supporters voting for you?
I never think about that. I don't lose sleep thinking about this prize, not because it's not important, it's actually one the best awards that a footballer can receive. But I only think about the prizes that my team wins and the titles that Barcelona wins. It would be great to be able to give something to the supporters to smile about at the end of this season, we always feel their support, we always have the culés at our side...

Are you anxious for the FIFA award?
No, not at all, it's the same answer as before, it's one of the most important prizes, individually speaking, but I don't even try to think about getting it. If we win awards as a team, maybe I'll get individual awards.

What do you expect from the Maradona cycle? What did you get out of the talks with him?
I hope that things go great for him. If things go great for Diego, things will go great for us Argentinians. The talks with Diego always leave you things.

Are the successes of Barcelona boosted when there's a crisis with the historic rival, in this case Real Madrid?
I don't think that it's that, because a crisis that the rival goes through doesn't help with defeating the rest of your rivals. Also, we know that this is temporary and that very soon Madrid will return to fight.

What will you have a toast to on midnight of December 31?
I'll keep that to myself, hah. But probably to a great year, with health, peace... and what I told you when we began to chat: that the suffering of every kid in the world ends.

Translated by: AL


This was the second and last part of this interview. You can read the first part here:
Messi: "I'm growing with every match"

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