In a recent interview with Spanish media, Lionel Messi had interesting shares about life around him.
Family life
“My dreams and aspirations are still intact,” Messi began the interview. “Of course, after all this time since he was a 13-year-old when he first arrived at Barca, a lot has changed, both on and off the pitch.”
Family is Messi’s No. 1 source of encouragement. Antonella Roccuzzo and her children mean a lot to El Pulga: “I cherish every change in my family. You start seeing different things in different ways.
The truth is that being a father is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened in my life. We are having 2 children and are about to welcome another. The first one gave me a wonderful feeling, so did the 2nd and it certainly exists with the 3rd.”
“My daily life revolves around the kids. Every morning, I take them to school. After training, I ran straight to pick up Thiago. Dinner was a time when we got together with Antonella and Mateo. Then I put them to bed and finish the day like any other normal family.”
Messi wants to have a normal family life like everyone else
“The kids don’t ask me to play football very often. But sometimes they are also active, including Mateo. Thiago has already gone to training but rarely plays football with me. Both of them were right-footed. We rarely talk about indoor football. It has to be big things that happen at the club or the national team to be talkedaout.”
“Mateo is still a baby. He still felt strange when someone came and asked to take a picture with his father. Mateo didn’t understand. Thiago is better, he often goes to the stadium to watch but does not know everything. Sometimes at home he shouts ‘Messi, Messi’ like fans always do even though he doesn’t know why.”
Relationship with Ronaldo
Reflecting on Real Madrid’s situation this season, Messi was frank: “Everything is temporary. This is not the first time we have seen Real in such a situation. By the end of the season, they will come back and fight to the end. Why? Because they are Real, they have top players and they always will.”
These two names are still 2 parallel lines
“Ronaldo? I don’t think we can be friends. Friendships are something built by taking the time to get to know each other. We didn’t have that kind of relationship, almost exclusively talking at award ceremonies. Everything is fine but our lives have nothing to do with each other.”
“There are a lot of good players today who can compete for the Ballon d’Or. Over the years there were only 2 of us but now Neymar, Kylian Mbappe or Luis Suarez are all serious candidates.”
Why has Barca broken defensive records instead of attacking records this season?
“Neymar’s departure forced us to change the way we played. We lost a talented attacking player and created more defensive tendencies. At this point we have a strong midfield that can create balance for the squad, thereby also positively impacting the defence.”
Nutritional problems
Messi is very concernedaout his physicality but admits he doesn’t have many secrets of his own: “Nothing special. I’ve been following diets for years. After training, I usually do extra leg training, but I’m not one to sit for hours in the gym.”
Messi has kept his weight very well over the years
“Chocolate is always what tires me the most. Having to abstain from chocolate has been the hardest thing in my life. Even now, I still feel guilty about eating chocolate. I don’t nap very often, though I honestly miss it. When I moved with the national team, it was my only chance to rest. And when I’m at home, because of the kids, I don’t have time.”
Dreams after retirement
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. We’ve sat down a few times and talkedaout life after I retired, but nothing was clear. I don’t see myself as a coach, I don’t have that feeling. In the next few years, there may be changes. I still have a few years left and we’ll see. When it’s almost over, I’ll definitely have a clear answer.”