Messi: "I don't watch my games"

Barcelona player Lionel Messi gave an interview to Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.





First things first, how are you?
Fine, fine, thanks.

I'm saying it because of your purple eye.
Toulalan hit me with his elbow in the game against Lyon but it's nothing, that's football.

You have now played three games without a win: Betis, Espanyol and Lyon. Is that something to worry about?
We know that at Barça, people always expect you to win, but we're calm because I think we're doing very good. We have an advantage of seven points in the Liga and the draw with Lyon is a good result. The important thing now is to win against Atlético so all the talking stops.

What would you say to the fans so they don't start panicking?
It's understandable that the fans are worried because the same happened over the last two years and in the end we lost the league, but things changed a lot, both in the heads of the players as in the way we play. What happened over the last years won't happen again.

Guardiola thinks and analyzes a lot. What are his conclusions after the last games during which the team wasn't that good?
That we had a spectacular series, that this wasn't normal, and that it can happen that we don't win a game. Everything came together but the important thing now is that we quickly raise our heads and go on.

Madrid is now seven points behind and they are talking about winning the league, what would you say to them?
We know that we have to be the strongest inside the dressingroom, we have to be more united than ever. And if things are going well there, we don't have to give any importance to what's been talked about outside. Nobody likes to lose and this squad even less because we want to reach certain things and this Sunday is a good moment to win another time.

You are a born winner. You're thinking a lot when things don't work out?
Well, yes I am. When things aren't going well for the team or for myself. I think about it, I don't like to do things in a bad way although I'm aware that it's part of the job.

You're watching the games to see where you made a mistake or what you can do better?
I live them again in my head. I don't watch the game. But I remember everything that happened and I analyze things.

The solution is that the opponents don't put three players to mark you?
The solution is to know how to deal with that, to be calm again and to play like I've always done, without thinking about the fact that things could turn out bad. Being calm is the best way.

You're getting demotivated when you see that the opponent is only focusing on kicking you?
No, although it's true that you sometimes feel uncomfortable if you have to play under those circumstances and you don't like that way of playing, but I'm not letting it influence me. I think that the team should try to take advantage of that. If they focus that much on me, others will have more space.

Your legs must be full of bruises and scars, right?
Yes, the truth is that I have several.

Which one was the most painful?
Well, when a game ends and you have cooled down, everything hurts but during the game you don't feel nothing. I don't really remember a special one.

After the defeat against Espanyol, you talked for the first time about the referees. They should protect players like you more?
I talked about the referees but I didn't blame them for our loss. It just wasn't the first time this happened playing at home. I will never ask a referee to watch out better because I believe that no player has bad intentions. Between us, as colleagues, it would be something really ugly if that was the case, so I don't think it's like that.

Some opponent has admitted after a game that he only could stop you by making faults?
No, not really. I greet everyone after the game, no need to go any further than that.

Who has marked you best without playing it hard?
I don't know, the truth is that things don't work out in many games, because of the opponent or because it's just not your day.


This was the first part of this interview. You will be able to read the second part in the coming days with Messi not talking about his girlfirend.

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