"I have never compared myself to Diego Maradona": the new confidences of Leo Messi after his seventh Ballon d'Or

" Go unnoticed ".

Lionel Messi sometimes has crazy dreams.

Often, he still manages to reach them, but this one promises to be a bit complicated all the same.

In an interview with France Football magazine and published this Saturday as part of its seventh Ballon d'Or, the Pulga spoke out on many subjects, sporting of course but also sometimes more intimate.

As always, the words are posed and weighed in the Argentinian, is not Nick Kyrgios who wants. We will still remember a few passages, such as his feelings about his integration into PSG four months after his surprise arrival. For example, he wanted to play down the episode of the free kick against Manchester City at the end of September when he lay down on the ground in the wall at the request of Marquinhos. “We were winning. There was no one to do it and, as I was there, I went to bed. Frankly, it's nothing. We all have to contribute something to get results, ”he said. The whims, not his style, therefore, also like the number 10 that he chose to leave on the shoulders of his friend Neymar despite his proposal. “The 10th, it was him. I was new to the club, I came to help.It was an extraordinary gesture on his part. "

"Lately, I'm going down more to try to create a game"

Lionel Messi then gave some indications on his role in the Parisian collective animation, while his positioning under the orders of Mauricio Pochettino is regularly debated.

“In the game, I always had the freedom to be able to move as I wanted, without having to respect a position too much.

All the coaches I have had left me this freedom to move where I thought I could hurt the opponent, ”he began by saying.

Before discussing the few adjustments observed in recent weeks at PSG.

“Even though I usually start on the right side, I often end up transplanting in the axis.

Lately I've been coming down more to try to create play, to generate power play, so that the team has control of the ball.

I feel good like that, I continue to have fun on the pitch.

"

Lionel Messi presented his Ballon d'Or at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Arnaud Journois

So much for football and the lawn. This interview was also an opportunity for Messi to address his difficult to read personality. He explains that he likes "the routine, the order", like many footballers according to him, even if he can imagine not living exactly the same pace as some superstars. "I'm happy with everything I've been through, although sometimes I have to admit that I would like to go unnoticed, to enjoy my family without people recognizing me." He admits being "maybe (...) more shy" with those he does not know but says he has no trouble raising his voice when needed in a locker room. “Yes, I get annoyed sometimes, but I'm not going to tell you what can happen in a locker room. It must stay there, like what happens in the private sector.It is this intimacy that makes the strength of a group, and the fact that we can get angry and talk to each other in front of things allows us to improve. "

"It doesn't change anything for me to be the best or not"

Asked about his place in the football pantheon, he unsurprisingly kicked in touch.

"I have never compared myself to Diego Maradona".

"I don't know how to say it so that it's not misinterpreted… It's not that I'm not interested in it, but, let's say, that I don't give it all that importance.

It doesn't change anything for me to be the best or not ”.

In this career in solid gold, he evokes all the same a regret with the specialized magazine. This dates back to 2006 when he attended from the stands of the Stade de France the European coronation of FC Barcelona against Arsenal. That evening, he does not take part in the party and remains alone in the locker room. “I was not aware at the time of what I was going through. But, at that exact moment, in my head, I was just thinking about the fact that I hadn't participated. I would at least have liked to be on the bench that evening (…) But I deeply regret this episode. We won this Champions League and I wasn't sure it would happen again because it's a very difficult competition to win. Then, luckily, I had the chance to win it again and enjoy it ”. PSG also hope to benefit from it one day.