Quotes From Messi

Leo was near his best last night in Barcelona’s 5-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid, but he immediately put the focus on the rest of his team after the match.

“I must thank my colleagues,” he told AS. “We have shown that when we play well, we enjoy our football. “It was a difficult game as Atletico came and stood their ground well,” he continued. “They possess a great team, and earned our respect from the first minute, but the goal put the game in our favour and we quickly took control.”

The Argentine also closed into within two goals of catching legendary Hungarian striker Laszi Kubala, who scored 194 goals in total.Speaking to BarcaTV, Messi said “I’m pretty calm about it. I just take it a game at a time, but obviously I’m very excited about becoming top scorer. Many years have gone by and it’s still the same player [referring to Kubala]. Hopefully I can beat his stats. I want to continue breaking records here”.

“We have to take it all bit by bit, without thinking about milestones. I think the most important thing for this team is to keep winning, and keep winning titles for us and the fans. This is far more important than any individual prize or statistic”

Messi admits that they still have to adapt to the 3-4-3 system that Guardiola has used recently, but he’s pretty excited about it: “We feel pretty comfortable with it. There are some things we still aren’t doing well, just like with the previous system, but that’s OK. It takes time and practice. We still aren’t totally used to it. Personally I’m pretty happy, because up front we have more space and we can link up better with the midfield players, and receive more passes”.

The Argentine striker, who was named as Man of the Match in the Champions League final, issued an ominous warning that his side will not rest on their laurels! The Argentine was speaking after being named as the Man of the Match in the Champions League final that his side won 3-1 over Manchester United at Wembley, in large part due to his goal, which restored Barca’s lead.

“This is a game to remember. What this team does is tremendous and we are still not conscious of what we are achieving. We want to keep winning things,” he revealed to Europa Press. Messi turned his thoughts to the celebrations with the Barcelona players due to attend a Shakira concert tomorrow at the Olympic Stadium: “Now we’ll see how we celebrate it. This is a team of winners, we all know that, and we have to think solely about the celebration on Sunday. Then we’ll think about next season.” Messi has now won three Champions League trophies with Barcelona, the latest being the second under the stewardship of coach Pep Guardiola.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was in no doubt that his side merited their Champions League final victory against Manchester United. The Spanish champions won the trophy for the fourth time after a 3-1 victory against the Red Devils. “It is never easy. We must congratulate Manchester United for the great match they have played. We are pleased because we know how hard it is to win the Champions League,” he told TVE. “We prepared very well for this game and the world has seen that we deserved to win. We controlled the game superbly.”

Barcelona will hold there victory celebration on Sunday, where we can expect a speech from Messi!

Lionel Messi is “relaxed” ahead of the Champions League Final and admits he wants to stay with Barcelona for the rest of his career. Already labelled an all-time great by some, 23-year-old Messi, whose side face Manchester United, said: “It’s a privilege. It hasn’t put any extra weight on my shoulders.

“I love seeing people enjoying themselves while watching me and my team-mates playing and to be able to win all these titles for them.” He added: “I always take things easy – and I’m very relaxed about it because things have gone our way for a long time.” My idea is to stay at Barcelona,” he said. “It’s true that in football you never know what is going to happen – one day you are here and two years later you are transferred [for example]. But as far I’m concerned I would like to play for Barcelona forever.”

His short-term focus is on playing a key role in the much-anticipated showdown between the Premier League and La Liga champions at Wembley.But when asked about opponents United, Messi revealed that he does not follow English football too closely. “Not really – to be honest with you I don’t [watch] much football at all but I know that they are a very strong side and well deserved champions of a very difficult league,” he stated. “That says it all. “I’m not sure where their weaknesses are because they are a very strong side, very physical and extremely efficient in all their lines. “I’m one of those players that doesn’t look too much at the opposition and concentrates about what we need to do. This is a one-off game – but we have to think about us.

Of United’s individuals, Messi said England striker Wayne Rooney was a threat. “He’s a huge player, very skilful and very quick,” he added. “He’s scored many great goals and is a fully rounded player that can create danger at any time.”