Lionel Messi says he does not compete with Cristiano Ronaldo

Messi attributed his purported rivalry with Ronaldo to what ‘people say’

Lionel Messi appeared in an exclusive interview for Yahoo Sport where the Argentine national was quizzed on a host of subjects. The interview was conducted by Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague who is also the author of the Barcelona superstar’s autobiography titled ‘Lionel Messi’.

The Argentina captain spoke about the possibility of playing in another league, his supposed rivalry with Ronaldo and his recovery from the recent injury. Messi was quizzed on the possibility of playing in another league but he quickly dismissed such a prospect expressing that he loves living in the present and hasn’t entertained thoughts of playing in some other league.

He said: “I don’t want to look too far ahead. I live for the moment and at this moment I am with Barcelona in the Spanish League where I have made my living and where I live very well.”

Messi was quite frank about the fact that he doesn’t play to impress and said, “I don’t need to impress anyone because that isn’t why I play. I play because I like it and because it is my profession even though to tell you the truth, I would like my sons to understand what I do.”

The Argentine national who enjoys watching football on television refuses to accept that his relationship with his national team could always be one of love and hate – “Majority of us Argentines are very passionate, we also treat well the stars who represent us. There are some who insult us and do not value those who play for their country, but even then I don’t reproach them because everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”

When questioned about his supposed rivalry with Ronaldo and whether it helped to have him around, Messi settled the issue by quoting, “These are things that people say. I don’t compete with Cristiano and I suppose he would not compete with me. What I want is the very best for my teams and that’s what I am working for.”

Finally, the topic moved to his current ligament injury and the Argentine national was asked give a timeline on his return.Messi described his injury as a strange feeling and stressed the importance of gaining full fitness.

He hasn’t set a date on his return yet and signed off by stating, “As much as I would like to play tomorrow, the doctors wouldn’t let me. When they tell me that I have recovered completely will be the time that I will make my return onto the pitch.”