"I follow Barcelona, I always did and I will continue to do so. It is the club that I love and will love all my life. It has a great team, great players, a mix of young people and veterans. I think it is prepared to fight for the Champions League and I am sure that he will rise from the defeat in the classic." Word from Leo Messi who, 14 years after winning his first Ballon d'Or, won his eighth in Paris. Nobody has achieved anything like it. Cristiano Ronaldo put the brakes on in 2017 with five. "It was always a very nice battle in quotes in sports. We fed each other because we are both very competitive. We stayed at the top for 10 or 15 years and it was something very difficult to sustain. It was spectacular," he recalled. Messi, who sounded more mature than ever and who, at 36 years old, is perhaps more aware than ever of what he has achieved. "As Aitana says, I was lucky to be in the best team in the world, the best club. I said the other day that Argentina was close to that team and they misunderstood me. Nobody doubts that Barça was the best in history and it goes to be almost impossible to see something similar. That helps win awards," Messi said.
Even so, above the individual awards, Messi continues to claim the strength of the collective. The World Cup that the albiceleste won in Qatar with seven of his goals took him back to the Theater du Chatelet in Paris on a night with the flavor of farewells. He no longer has any pending issues at the sporting level. But he would like to return to Barcelona to say goodbye to his club and its fans and, perhaps, occupy another role. And that is why the Argentine, who considered returning to Barça but decided on Miami after analyzing the club's lack of economic stability, took advantage of the great loudspeaker that is Paris to send several messages to the fans and the entity chaired by Joan Laporta. There was no greeting. But Barcelona's top leader, present in Paris to accompany Aitana Bonmatí, winner of her first Ballon d'Or, was moved several times by Messi's words.
"All Ballon d'Ors are special. I was lucky to win many at Barcelona, I achieved everything at club level, and the last two come from the national team, which was something that was denied to me, so I am very happy," he said. The new award comes 14 years after the first, won in 2009 and followed by those in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021. It is also the first time that it has gone to a male footballer who no longer plays in Europe. "I have never spent so much time on vacation without playing. Perhaps the most difficult moment after having left Europe and choosing Inter Miami. I take this opportunity to thank you for all this time we have had since my arrival. Just like with Beckham, which is a great person. Now I will enjoy the moment with my family and more time in Argentina, which is what I always wanted and couldn't," declared the forward.
There will be more? With Messi you can never rule out anything. But Messi's speech sounded like goodbyes. "I have been lucky to be here for many years. The players change but the level does not go down," he confessed on stage. There it does reign. Not so much in the Parc des Princes, the home of PSG. "My two years here with PSG were not what I expected," he confessed. "I don't know if I have a lot or a little left, but after the career I had, the only thing I have left is to continue enjoying football, which is what I like to do the most. I hope I can continue for a long time," he reiterated with a smile.
And then? "Hopefully I can return to Barcelona. I don't see myself as a coach but who knows," he argued. He does not close the doors to a tribute at the new Camp Nou either. "I think there was a strange feeling when I left. And it's not right with everything we shared, enjoyed and cried together, with everything we gave each other. I think I deserve to say goodbye to those people with whom I shared so many joys and sadnesses. "We have lived my entire career. Barcelona is my home, I love the club and my people. If that tribute is given, I would be delighted to be there."
From Barcelona, Xavi Hernández, friend and former teammate of Messi and the person who tried to close Messi's return in the summer, applauded such words. The club took the Argentine at his word and is already working to prepare this tribute when the new Spotify Camp Nou opens its doors at the end of November 2024, a year and a month from now, with an approximate capacity of 60 percent.
Afterwards, Messi came out to take a photo with Aitana Bonmatí, the best player in the world. "Congratulations on your first Ballon d'Or," Aitana joked. Messi smiled. "Personally, I still am not used to the theme of the gala and the awards, although I became more relaxed. A lot of time has passed and I think that today with the last one I feel much more relaxed and calm," he said,
And the Ballon d'Or of the future? "I don't want to forget Haaland or Mbappé, who had a great, spectacular year, and in the coming years they will win this award. They are two football beasts and they will have a very beautiful fight in the coming years," he said. Later, in an interview with L'Équipe he included Vinícius and Lamine Yamal on the list. "He is very young and is already playing for Barcelona, being a protagonist, and will surely fight for someone," he said.
