"Thiago has changed me"
Lionel Messi: "Last year was difficult, but now I am feeling really good"
Barça's No.10 has had some ups and down in recent years, but now he says he is feeling as good as ever
Sport EN | 13.4.2015 | 18:21h.
Lionel Messi is happy. That is what he has told an interview with the magazine 'Barça', although he recognised that he did have some difficulties last season.
"I feel happy," he said. "The truth is that I began the season in another away after everything what had happened to me last year.
"I had a difficult year because of things that happened away from the pitch, injuries and my performance level. But now I feel good."
This is how Messi's exclusive interview in the April edition of 'Barça' begins, a publication which the club sends to its Socios.
He goes on to explain that last season "was irregular".
"I spent a lot of time away from the pitch [injured] and when I returned I wasn't in great form," he continued.
"I have tried to forget what I experienced, though, and recover my best version and
now I feel really good."
Messi's feeling is right. He has scored 45 goals this season in 44 matches and he looks like he is back to his very best form.
"We will fight for everything," he said about Barça's chances of winning the trevle this season.
"We all really want to get as far as possible in all the competitions we are in."
Under Pep Guardiola Barça did win everything they were in one year, and Messi suggests that maybe it didn't sink in just how difficult that was to do.
"Maybe we didn't really realise what we were achieving at the time," he continued.
"Now we have gone one year without titles, so when success does arrive, we will enjoy it more because we know how difficult it is to achieve it."
His goal against Sevilla was his 399th in official games for the club. "It's nice to score goals, but at these heights each goal is one goal more," he said, before talking about his hat-trick balls.
"I have them all on display with my trophies, but I have been thinking that maybe I should do something special, something better with them.
"All my teammates sign the balls because without them I would not have achieved all this success. A hat-trick depends on them, too."
In a special part of the interview, Messi speaks about his soon, Thiago, who has "changed" his life.
"Everything has changed," the 27-year-old acknowledges. "Above all how I think.
Now it it is [Thiago] first, then everything else after that.
"It has changed the way I see games, too.
Before, if I missed a chance or I had a bad game, I would not speak to anyone for three of four days.
"Now, I get home after after a game, see my son and everything else passes me by.
"To be a parent has helped me grow and realise that there are things in life other than football."
The interview in the official site is bigger, but wasn't translated to english yet.