According to Sport, Argentine star Messi reflected on his time at Barcelona in an interview with EFE on Thursday in Oviedo, stating that the team won everything and enjoyed playing in an unforgettable way.
Messi is set to receive the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports on Friday in Oviedo, with the award ceremony presided over by the King and Queen of Spain. In an interview with EFE at a hotel in Oviedo, Messi said it was an honor to share a locker room with Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, and many other players.
Messi recalled: "We were fortunate to win everything, and we did it our way. We enjoyed playing, enjoyed winning, enjoyed achieving important things, but most importantly, we enjoyed every day, we enjoyed training, and we had a great time."
The Argentine player, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the United States and previously played for Paris Saint-Germain in France, admitted that it's hard to summarize what Barcelona means to him in a few words because Barça is part of his life and his club for life.
Messi stated that he experienced many wonderful things, both at the club and in the city, where his three children were born. Therefore, he has a very special feeling for the city and the club.
After winning every club honor with Barcelona, Messi emphasized that winning the FIFA World Cup with Argentina in Qatar in 2022 was the pinnacle of his career, "more than just a dream." His goal in that final was one of the most important goals of his career "because of its meaning, because of that moment, because of that match," alongside some of his goals in Barcelona's Champions League finals or El Clásico matches.
There's always "the next move." The Rosario native also recalled the football advice given to him by his father Jorge, who passed away in August this year. Messi and his father "were always in communication," exchanging ideas after every training session or match.
Perhaps the most important advice was to never stop trying: "Take the ball and try, whether you succeed or fail, don't stop at that one time, there's always a next move."
Messi admitted that he always wanted to be a footballer and pointed out that he knew he could make it when he was in Barcelona B, because "it was already very close, I knew I would get the opportunity at any time." At that time, he started training with the first team, which was a decisive moment in his career.
When asked how he would like to be remembered, the Argentine star said he hoped people would remember him "as a great athlete" who always fought for his goals and dreams: "Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I didn't, but I never stopped trying to win everything in front of me."
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