Messi: “Barcelona is the club I love”

After securing his eighth Ballon d’Or, Lionel Messi faced the press with a smile at Paris’s Theatre de Châtelet. The Argentine legend did not hold back, declaring his love for Barcelona and regretting that his farewell to the club “could have been better.”

Are you going to present your latest Ballon d’Or at La Bombonera?

Nothing is set, but it would be great to share it with the people of Argentina. This award is for the entire national team and for the people for what we achieved in the World Cup. I’ve always shared it with my clubs, especially Barcelona, and it would be good to do so with Argentines as well.

Are you the best player in history now you’ve won this award?

I don’t know if I’m the best ever. I’m not interested in that. It’s already a gift to be chosen as the best; it’s very special. Football is played everywhere, and every kid everywhere wants to be a footballer. And just to be told I could be among the best is a huge honour.

Can Barça win the Champions League with Lewandowski?

Clearly. I follow Barcelona, as I always said and I will continue to do so, it’s the club I will love for my entire life. I think they have a great team, they have great players, as well as having a great, solid mix of young and experienced footballers. At the end of the day, in football a lot of things can happen, because in a year there can be losses or difficult moments, but I think that Barcelona is ready to fight for this Champions League, above and beyond losing the recent Clásico. I have experienced it many times, I’m thinking about how the people in Barcelona must be, but they will definitely come back from this blow. I have no doubt that Barcelona is one of the candidates, but I also don’t think they should become obsessed or consider themselves the favorites. Go little by little and grow during the competition.

Did your season at PSG have an impact on the Ballon d’Or?

Although my time in Paris didn’t go as expected due to various reasons, I made some great friends there and enjoyed the city a lot. My children grew particularly fond of it; they didn’t want to leave. From a sporting perspective, it wasn’t what I had envisioned, but I focus on the good experiences, which were plentiful.

Is this Ballon d’Or the most special because you won the World Cup with Argentina?

They are all special. They all have a special meaning. I was lucky to win a lot while at Barcelona; I was lucky to win everything at club level. And the last two are special because they come from the national team, it was something that had been denied to me. And it is different that it comes with the World Cup, especially because of what it means for a player and for Argentines as we experience it. When you are world champion after so long... It’s different.

Is it the happiest year of your career for the World Cup and then for having gone to Inter Miami and enjoying your family?

No, I don’t know if it is the best of my sporting career, but it is a different and special year. I had spectacular years, as I said before. I was in the best team in the world for many years, I also played in the best team in history, I won Champions Leagues, Cups, the Club World Cup... And then there was winning the World Cup, because I’d already achieved everything on a collective and individual level and the World Cup was the last thing I was missing. And at the same time it was the most special. A player, when he starts out, his dream is to be world champion with his team or at least for us Argentines. When we are little we want to be professional soccer players and be world champions. I was lucky to achieve everything at the club level and also at the national team level. I thank God for everything he has given me.

Does playing for Barcelona help to win the Ballon d’Or?

Obviously, being in the best team in the world gives you more possibilities, also in the best team in history. Achieving the titles we achieved means you are more likely to win individual awards. In the end, the important prizes are the collective ones that, at the same time, bring you closer to the individual ones. Barça is the best team in the world because it is special. The fact you have such good team mates helps you with these things.

Which is the most special?

They are all special, they all have a different flavor because they come hand in hand with other awards achieved at a collective level. I got others after winning the Champions League, Leagues... Now come the last two for the Copa América and the World Cup. They are all very nice recognitions. Being here at this type of gala is an honor.

Are you considering returning to Barcelona as a coach in the future?

(Laughs). Coach, as of now, I don’t think so nor is it something that I’m focused on. As I say, football takes many turns and anything can happen. Obviously, I could return to Barcelona and I could live there. It is the club that saw me mature, that gave me everything and I gave it everything. It’s the club I love. And try to give everything for the club. I always did. It’s not something to think about today. I don’t know if I have a lot or a little left to play, but I want to enjoy it. I don’t want to say any more. It could easily happen.

Would you like to present the award in front of the Parc des Princes?

I don’t think the folk from PSG would be very keen to see me presenting them with the Ballon d’Or. I said hello to Kylian. We shared two years together, we had a great relationship, we fought for the same goals and we still have a good relationship. That’s why we say hello to each other and talk. It is normal.

Will there be a tribute to Messi in 2024?

I don’t know. Obviously I would love to be able to say goodbye to people in another way. I think I had a funny feeling when I left. I think it wasn’t great because of everything we’d shared, because of everything the club gave me and I gave it. I think I deserve to be able to say goodbye to those people with whom we have shared so many joys and sorrows throughout my career. Barcelona is my home, I love the club and the people of Barcelona. If it happens, I’d love to be there.