Thread: Lionel Messi's exclusive interview with Olé.
Messi: "Technology? Like everyone, I spend a lot of time on my smartphone. Often you're messing around on the phone doing nothing, really. You don't even realize it, and one thing leads to another. But it is what it is today."
Messi: "Watching football? I watch it, I watch it a lot. I like to look at different leagues. Follow it, be aware of it. I like it, yeah."
To be continued.
Messi: "When I was four or five years old, I used to play with a ball, from the time I started walking. Yes, I remember my first games at Grandoli, being on the pitch."
Messi: "One day, Grandoli needed a player so my grandmother started to tell the coach, whom she had known all her life: "Put him [me] on'. The coach replied: 'No, how am I going to put him in the team, look how small he is. You're crazy.'" My grandmother kept on asking it."
Messi: "When I finally entered the pitch, apparently, I did a couple of things and, from the on... My grandmother came back and told him: 'Buy him football boots, I'll take him to training'."
Messi: "That's when I started, it was an amazing time. My family used to go there every weekend. We'd spend the whole weekend at the club... It was a very nice time in my childhood."
Messi: "The neighbourhood? We always played with the ball, with friends."
Messi: "Playing with a mask in Barcelona? I then had a fractured cheekbone. I was 14 or 15 years old, I think. The same thing happened to Puyol. It was impossible to play with that, I tried but it was impossible. I eventually took it off and continued playing."
Messi: "Treatment to be able to grow? It was not only for football. It was a resource that would help me for life. Thiago knows about the treatment, what I did."
Messi: "Obsessive about tactics? I like to study the opponents, how to press, even though we have coaches. I also like to watch and see."
Messi: "The Copa América? The whole group is looking forward to it, it's been a long time since we got together. It's a special cup."
Messi: "Whenever I compete, I always do it to win, to achieve all the goals. To win titles. The truth is that the Copa del Rey victory was special, because of the moment we were going through. The club is coming from a couple of years where we haven't been having a good time."
Messi: "Teammates wanted to take a picture with me after the Copa del Rey? That's beatiful. So many guys rising from the bottom, who feel the same, I know what it feels like. I felt the same way. It was a beautiful moment in every sense."
Messi: "The dogs? Ciro loves Hulk. The first thing he does as soon as he wakes up is to greet him and be with him. And before going to bad as well. Antonela and Ciro are the biggest dog lovers, but I love them too."
Messi: "What shirt do I miss in my musuem? I regret not having asked for shirts before from players I faced. When I was a kid, when I was just starting, like Ronaldo's, Roberto Carlos', I would have liked to have those shirts. I'm sure I'm missing some, but I have most of them."
Messi: "Proud of being asked to exchange shirts? I always exchange shirts unless i get angry and leave the stadium straight away. But yes, I'm proud. It gives me good vibes."
Messi: "After my family, football is my biggest passion for sure."
Messi: "Thiago doesn't like being recognised. He is very shy and he has a hard time with that. Mateo, the contrary, he doesn't give a damn if they recognise him."
Messi: "Relationship with the parents of my children's friends? I'm very lucky because the group of parents is great."
Messi: "Difficult to be Messi? Sometimes you want to go unnoticed or you want to do normal things, and getting into places where there are lots of people or in a shopping mall, that's more complicated."
Messi: "Being recognized, the photos, it's that... But there's also, there are moments when you don't want that. Pressure of knowing that they are looking at you."
Messi: "Sometimes you're not having a good day. And you go crazy because you don't want to run into anyone. Sometimes you're just not in the mood. These are things I have to live with, but I don't complain."
Messi: "Getting recognition, a nice word from someone, a request for a photo, that's also really nice. I'm just one more. I also like to be with people who aren't involed in football."
Messi: "The truth is, I did not like to study, and it was difficult for me. But my behavior was always good."
Messi: "I'm very lucky to be able to see my family often. There are many parents who work all day and only come back at night, as happened to me with my father. I am very fortunate to spend my time with the family."
That concludes part of Messi's interview with Olé. Link to full interview: ole.com.ar
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