FC Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi smile during a press conference at Aspire Academy in Doha, yesterday. RIGHT: Messi holds a falcon. Messi was in Doha to launch a new initiative with Ooredoo.
BY DENZIL PINTO
DOHA: Barcelona’s superstar Lionel Messi insists he was happy to receive another Spanish league winner’s medal but admits the Catalan club must achieve more success in the future, as the striker made several young children’s dreams come true during his visit to Qatar yesterday.
The four-time World Player of the Year winner, hosted a football session for young children from Qatar, Palestine, Indonesia, Iraq, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and the Maldives at Aspire Academy, as Ooredoo and the Leo Messi Foundation launched a new initiative to support mobile health clinics around the world to provide medical aid for children in the Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia.
Speaking at a press conference, Messi said: “Winning the league (La Liga title this season) was very good but the goal is to win everything. Of course I cannot speak about other Spanish teams, but the teams are doing very well and are quickly developing. We wanted to win all the matches but that is not very easy.”
In the Spanish league, Barcelona were dominant in their title-winning season and are currently six away from 100 points, which is the target, according to striker Pedro Rodriguez and coach Tito Vilanova, before the season ends on June 1.
However, the Catalan club could not replicate their form in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League.
After topping their group which consisted of Celtic, Benfica and Spartak Moscow, and then making history by overturning a 2-0 deficit without help from an away goal in their 4-0 (4-2 aggregate) win against Italian giants AC Milan in the last-16 stage, many suggested they would go on to lift the title at Wembley on Saturday.
However, the four-time European champions exited the tournament this month after being outplayed in both matches against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
Barcelona lost 4-0 at the Allianz Arena and a few days later were humiliated 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
Messi, who played an important role as Barcelona edged past Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals on the away-goals rule, admitted the Germans were the ‘better’ team.
“The two matches were not easy. They (Bayern Munich) were more physical and were better than us during the tie,” said Messi, who arrived in Qatar early yesterday morning, after watching his side’s 2-1 win against Valladolid on Sunday.
He added: “The disappointment of elimination is now behind us and it’s time to look ahead.”
The 25-year-old, who is currently injured, explained: “There is no getting around it. This year is over and we must prepare to get back to our best.”
When asked if he would ever leave Barcelona, whom he has played for since the age of 13, the Argentine said: “I have never thought of playing for another club other than Barcelona. But who knows what the future holds. The future is not in my hands but I hope to end my career at Barcelona.”
Messi said he was not indispensible to Barcelona. He said: “I am part of a group and we all work to help each other.”
Replying to questions from young football fans, the Barcelona all-time top goalscorer said he achieved his dream of becoming a footballer.
He said: “My dream was to become a footballer and I am very lucky to have done this. Now I want to achieve more things in the future.”
In response to another question, the 5 foot 7 inch star, who made his first-team debut aged 17, said: “I always do my best on the pitch. My most important objective is to help the whole team whether it’s on or off the pitch.”
THE PENINSULA
