FOOTBALL
“My son has changed my life more than the Ballons d’Or have,” said the Argentine player
“It’s crazy that I’m compared to Micheal Jordan or Muhammad Ali”
Messi was surprised when he won his most recent Ballon d’Or: “Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this”
Leo Messi doesn’t like to talk in public. In fact, when he won his fourth Ballon d’Or he didn’t have a speech prepared. “I didn’t know I was going to win,” said the Argentine who admitted that “when my name was called it was a surprise. I didn’t expect it.”
Messi made these declarations in an interview with El Periódico de Catalunya. He added: “it’s crazy that I’m compared to athletes like Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt or Muhammad Ali. I don’t like comparisons, who am I to compare myself to someone else? I do my job and when [my career] is over we’ll see how well I’ve done.”
Messi’s son changed his life: “when I look at life, thinking about each moment, when I analyse each situation, now everything is different. He [Thiago] changed my life more than the Ballons d’Or have.
“The biggest critic of Messi is Messi. I know when I do things correctly and when I do them poorly,” said Messi. “I’m my number one critic.”
After winning his fourth Ballon d’Or, Messi said he’s “satisfied and proud to have won what I have but I always want more. Last year we were not able to win the Liga or the Champions League and this year I’d be thrilled to win more titles.”
When asked about the difference between Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova, Leo said, “the style is the same: the training sessions and the way we prepare for games. We do the same things we’ve done over that past couple of years.” He added: “It’s crazy what this team has been able to accomplish.” For Messi the key to the team’s success is that “we all like to play football and we’re good human beings, we’re humble and we're an excellent group. This team continues to enjoy itself, we don’t look at football like a profession; rather, it’s our way of feeling, experiencing the sport.”