Lionel Messi Exclusive: Superstar has his say on Barcelona, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola and great goals
World's greatest player tells SunSport aboout his special memories of facing Prem clubs - including a 'perfect' team display in Barca's 2009 Champions League final win against Manchester United
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LIONEL MESSI’S first goal against an English club has a special place in his heart.
And it came in what he described as the “perfect” Barcelona performance as they took down Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final in Rome.
Until then many so-called experts were doubting the man who is now generally acknowledged to be the greatest footballer of them all.
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Starting with that header — against the direction of Xavi’s cross and which floated over Edwin van der Sar — there have been 16 goals against English clubs.
That is more than against clubs of any other nation. And it includes his hat-trick against old Nou Camp boss Pep Guardiola in Manchester City’s humiliating 4-0 Champions League loss 12 days ago.
The great Argentinian superstar opened up to SunSport ahead of Barca’s visit to City tomorrow.
Messi summed up the difference between Guardiola’s Barca and that of Luis Enrique.
Messi said: “In reality, the system of Barcelona is something that everyone knows.
“I can say we are one of the few clubs that have it, but each boss has different things and applies them as he sees fit.
“We have not noticed massive changes but, yes, some — in that with Luis maybe now we are a bit more aggressive when we attack at speed, whilst with Pep we used counter-attacks less.”
But what of the legendary matches he has played with Barcelona?
Messi’s greatest moments in football came with his two goals against United in two Champions League final wins, firstly in Rome and then at Wembley.
And he described those two as the perfect Barca super-shows as Guardiola masterminded an unprecedented glory haul in the club’s history.
Led by the irrepressible Messi, they won 14 out of 19 trophies contested in four seasons.
Messi added: “There are several games when the team played in such a way that it was almost impossible for the opponents to do any damage to us.
“And it almost always happened in big matches.
“The final of the Champions League in Rome was one of those games when the team played the perfect match.”
So how did he feel when he finally netted against an English side on the biggest club stage of all at the Olympic Stadium in the Italian capital in 2009, and then at Wembley two years later?
Messi said: “Both were inexplicable feelings but you live them in a different way.
“In any massive game when you score a goal, the joy of the people, your people, the supporters, and particularly our own fans, you can only enjoy those moments right there and then — and not beyond.”
It is well known that City superstar Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero is one of Messi’s closest chums — as is former Liverpool ace Luis Suarez, who joined Barca just over two years ago. Messi said: “Kun is a very simple and easy-going person, a great lad and, as a striker, one of the best. As is Luis.
“They are different but, if you want to look at it like that, either of them can decide a game. They are both very decisive.”
Messi also compared Pep’s City with Manuel Pellegrini’s version that he faced — and knocked out — twice in the previous three seasons.
Another win for the Catalan giants tomorrow would plunge Guardiola into deep Champions League trouble.
But Messi insisted the Etihad outfit will grow under Guardiola — and he backed his former boss to lead them to glorious triumphs.
The Barcelona megastar added: “City are a great team. They have always been a great team each year we have faced them but now, by having Pep, they will grow more through his work.”
Five years ago SunSport dubbed the Argentina ace “Messi-ah” when he netted four goals against Arsenal.
He had the chance to repeat the feat against City at the Nou Camp earlier this month but let Neymar take a penalty — only for the Brazilian to miss before making amends with Barca’s fourth goal just before the end.
The great Messi gave a startling insight into what makes this Barca a super-team despite the presence of the world’s greatest players in a superstar-studded dressing room.
He believes that what makes Barca great is, quite simply, the absence of egos.
Messi said: “We are a group and we work together to win. There is no egotism in anyone in this squad.
“We always try to enjoy playing together and a goal also gives you confidence, so we always try to enjoy it together when we have a game under control.
“Ney is also a person who is very close to us and who we admire a lot. He has such a joyful character. We all get on very well together.”
The difference between Messi and any other star in the history of the game is that he has kept on improving for an astonishing 12 years, winning four Champions League titles, eight league crowns, the Ballon d’Or five times and dozens of other medals.
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His answer when I asked what fuels his motivation was disarming.
Messi said: “I’m not obsessive, but I work for what I am, which is a football player, and my objective is to win titles with my team each weekend.
“The same goes for the national team, although we’ve not yet been able to win a big one.”
Lastly, Messi warned that buoyant Barca are coming to Manchester aiming to win — despite the absence of the injured Andres Iniesta.
He said: “Missing Andres is something you always notice as far as I can tell — for how he is as a player and what he creates on the field of play.
“But we are in good shape and we are coming very confident.”