The adidas #hometeam campaign continued today with an exclusive interview with the G.O.A.T. Lionel Messi. Like the rest of the world, Messi’s life has been thrown upside down by the coronavirus with LaLiga suspended since March 12 and the Argentine’s prospective international summer — a Copa América on home soil — delayed until 2021.
For a man who’s so often done his talking on the pitch while living a reclusive existence off it, it’s interesting to hear Messi’s perspective on the current global climate. According to the 32-year-old, the present is all about staying mentally strong while remaining hopeful for the future.
“I don’t think anyone could have seen something like this coming,” Messi said. “Some people warned that worldwide pandemics could happen from time to time. But I never imagined it would unfold like it did, or the enormous impact it’s having on virtually the entire world.
“Living or working with so much uncertainty is never easy, especially when faced with a situation as unheard-of as this one. We all wonder when we’ll get back to work, when we’ll start training and competing again.”
They’ve returned to small group sessions in Spain, and the current plan has clubs resuming full training on June 1 with a tentative league restart date of June 11. Messi himself has been looking a lot like Messi in training.
Football isn't ready. pic.twitter.com/4nmNnqJErr
— FC Barcelona (from ) (@FCBarcelona) May 26, 2020
“There’s talk of finishing out the Spanish league’s season without spectators, which brings a whole set of challenges,” Messi said. “The group preparation is the same as for any other game. But individually each person needs to prepare for and visualize playing without fans, because it’s very strange.
"I had to do it for a home game, and it was downright spooky. But it’s normal for the league to resume this way, after everything we’ve been going through. With all that’s happening in the world, it’s perfectly understandable.”
As for his future with Argentina, Messi remains fully committed to La Albiceleste and is already looking forward to next summer.
“Pushing back the Copa América was a huge disappointment, but of course it was to be expected and was the reasonable thing to do,” he said. “The Copa was going to be a big event for me this year, and I was extremely excited to compete in it again. It hit me hard when I learned it would be postponed, but I completely understood.
“We can't dwell on what we're leaving behind this year. It's better to look to the future. To getting back to the daily training routine, to seeing teammates, to playing the first games. I'm sure it will be strange at first, but I'm very eager to start competing again!”
Before the break, Barcelona held a two-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table with 11 matches remaining. Barcelona’s first match back will be a visit to the Balearic Islands to play Mallorca. The club is also in the Champions League Round of 16 after drawing 1-1 with Napoli in the first leg.
Messi has 24 goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions.
