I have said several times that there is nothing like winning a collective title. Individual titles don’t give you the same adrenaline there is nothing like lifting a trophy with all of the team.
Lionel Messi
Madrid: FC Barcelona striker Leo Messi said that he hoped to add further Balon d’Or trophies to the four he has won in the past four years.
Messi was given the award last Monday. This is an award given by France Football and FIFA to the best player in the world.
It was the fourth successive time Messi has won the Balon d’Or, something nobody has ever done. But aged just 25, there is still plenty of time for the Argentinean to add more to his trophy cabinet, reports Xinhua.
“I hope to win more but it is not an obsession, at least not at the moment,” said Messi Friday in an interview with France Football.
“I want to enjoy the present and we will see what happens in a few months,” added the striker, who scored a record 91 goals during 2012.
Messi admitted it was nice to win individual awards but insisted that in football it was not the most important thing.
“I have said several times that there is nothing like winning a collective title. Individual titles don’t give you the same adrenaline. I am happy, but there is nothing like winning a final, lifting a trophy and competing with all of the team. There is nothing better than that as it is the best thing you can do as a player,” said Messi.
Messi has one moment that he cherishes above all: his headed goal against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final.
“When I close my eyes, the first thing that comes to mind is the night we won in Rome, my headed goal and the collective joy at the final whistle. Everything else is good, the record and all that, that is what I dream about,” said Messi, who added that his first Balon d’Or was the one he most cherished.
Finally Messi apologised for not having mentioned his teammates, Barca coach, Tito Vilanova or Cristiano Ronaldo, who was runner-up to Messi for the Balon d’Or in his acceptance speech.
“I am sorry about that. I didn’t say all that I wanted to. I hadn’t prepared any notes or a speech, but I didn’t mean to forget anyone, but the same thing happens everytime, I get emotional and lose the thread,” he said.
Meanwhile, the spotlight will shine on various players when La Liga leaders FC Barcelona take to the pitch in Malaga’s La Rosaleda Stadium on Sunday evening.
Barca are aiming to reach the midway point of the season unbeaten and maintain their 16 point lead over Real Madrid and 11 point advantage over second placed Atletico Madrid.
It is unlikely coach Tito Vilanova will be in the dug-out for the game after flying to the United States for a second opinion on his cancer treatment. It means his assistant Jordi Roura will again take charge of the team as he did for the 3-1 win in Valladolid before Christmas and Thursday’s 5-0 triumph over Cordoba.
The Cordoba game saw David Villa score twice and one of the questions hanging over the game is whether Villa will have done enough to earn a place in the starting 11 alongside Leo Messi and Pedro Rodriguez.
The probable answer is “no” given that in the club they still believe Villa has to reach peak fitness after breaking his leg in December 2011, a fact that was born out as the striker suffered cramp 13 minutes from time Thursday and had to leave the pitch and Barca with just 10-men for the closing minutes of their cup tie.
