Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi sat down with a few kids from the club's famed La Masia academy to discuss his career and how he felt coming to Barcelona from Argentina at such a young age. The Argentine himself graduated from the academy many years ago and has the club to thank for providing him the perfect platform to cultivate his skills.
Messi has shown that he is versatile, supremely talented and focused and his 5 Ballon d’Or awards speak volumes about the same. Having won all that there is to win as a club footballer, the little Argentine spoke to kids from the academy to answer any questions they had about football, how he learnt to stay away from home and winning the Ballon d’Or.
The man from Argentina also got a little emotional when his family was brought up, revealing how it was tough for him to stay away from them. He was also asked for what advice he would give to young players.
When asked about who taught him to play, Messi said that he didn't quite know, that his family was always interested in football, and that he probably picked it up because his brother used to play.
He was also asked if it was tough to leave his home at a young age and come to Spain and play, in response to which he said, "Yes it was, I left a lot of things behind, I couldn't see my family a lot, it was quite tough.”
Messi also said that he never thought he would be this susccessful as a player and that he only dreamt of making the first-team. He was also asked if he had any advice to give to young players, in response to which he said that he generally doesn't like giving any advice, but if there is anything he has learnt from his experiences, it was to make the most of one's time at La Masia and learn all they can.
The Argentine also explained how Barcelona's playing style has helped him develop and how he thinks the aim at Barcelona should always be to win everything they take part in, as they did last year, winning their second treble.
When he was asked where he kept his Ballon d’Or awards, Messi said cheerfully that he kept them all in one room, where he had enough space to accommodate the 5th one he just won.
You can watch the entire interview here:
