David Meca: "Messi left but someone better will come along..."

Lionel Messi's decision to quit Barcelona is still an issue which generates debate among both Barça fans and football fans in general. In an interview with Sport, Spanish swimmer David Meca gave his thoughts on the matter. In his opinion, the Catalan believes that the best move for Messi would have been to stay at Camp Nou, if only in recognition of everything Barça have done for him throughout his career.

"In my opinion, Messi should have stayed because, while he gave so much to the team, the club also gave him a lot right from the very start. Who cares if there's a extra zero or a zero less on your pay packet when you already have a lot of money. It's other things - values, the fans who love you, your team... those are more important when you have been given so much help, not just economically but also will health issues since childhood," Meca explained.

Barcelona will thrive without Messi

Meca however, feels that life goes on and that applies to Barcelona's future post-Messi: "Barça will always be Barça, a No.1 club. Top players come and go, that's life. The team's leaders are always replaced, so that the team doesn't enter into a slump or start panicking. That's who sport works from generation to generation. So if Messi leaves, someone else even better than Messi will eventually come along because that's the law of life, as life moves on we are seeing better swimmers, footballers and athletes in general. Will it be a struggle? I'm sure it will, but Barça have won everything they have won not just because of one person - it has always been down to a team effort, and the team always striven for the very best".

To conclude, Meca spoke about current club president Joan Laporta: "Laporta is superb, he doesn't need any advice from me. I would simply tell him that success doesn't depend on talent - it's down to the team's attitude. The team needs to have a good attitude, train hard, make an effort, the players put themselves out for each other and maintain hope that they can win all of the trophies they set out to win. It doesn't matter of one talented player leaves, at the end of the day, it is attitude which is what will make you champions".