Messi: "I am great because of my team-mates"

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




One month into the new season and already two trophies...
Everything has gone very fast. You start and the next thing you know you're already competing for two trophies as a result of the hard work of last season. It's good to start like that, although it's hard. If you look at the calendar, we won't have a moment to breathe until January or February... Pfff, we will have to make the best of it because it will be a tough season.

But it is less tough when you enjoy yourself...
We are having a good time and you can see that, right? We are having a good time because the football we play is made to make the footballer have fun. But we are also suffering, of course. Nobody should think that we aren't exhausted at the end of a game.

How does it feel to be the best player in the world?
This team has made me big. This Barça has made me grow and makes me better every day. All those with whom I had the honour to play have taught me something and this group makes you better. For me, that is very clear: I am great because of them. All those individual trophies should have copies, reproductions, one for each team-mate. That's the way we work, as one, we are one and that way it is easier to stand out and to do what you like to do. Someone is covering for you when you are trying to make an action that could be decisive but that also carries some risk. It's great to ba part of a team like this Barça.

What is Iniesta lacking to win individual trophies?
There's nothing lacking, he's a crack already! But because he does everything with such ease, it seems like there's nothing to it. But he has everything needed to win win individual prizes.

How is Ibrahimovic doing?
Very well. Ibra knows that Barça is a new world. It wasn't easy for him to adapt to a team that plays by heart, with an enormous quality, that has won everything last season... He wants to learn from the group and this is valued. He has a lot of qualities and he will add a lot of things to the team. He's acting in a modest way and he has adapted very well to the group.

The group is missing Eto'o?
Of course we miss him, every team would miss him. What Samu gave us on the pitch was incredible, he was the first one to put pressure, always going forward and scoring goals like nobody can. He was very important for the team. But now he's at Inter and I'm sure he will do great. I talk with Samu every now and then, I like to know how things are going for him.


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