FCBARCELONA.CAT

19.04.2007 12:08

Messi - the day after

Barça’s man-of-the-match against Getafe, Messi, spoke to reporters in the Camp Nou on Thursday and relived what, for many football pundits around the world, is the best goal since Maradona’s famous solo effort against England in the 1986 World Cup.

Lionel Messi reported for training today as if nothing had happened. But the fact is that the images of his amazing goal have appeared on television and in the newspapers of the entire world. The consensus is clear – it is one of the best goals ever seen in the history of football and of FC Barcelona. Today, despite the huge buzz of media excitement in the Camp Nou, Messi was, as usual, calm and extremely modest.

Comparisons with Maradona

Inevitably, many comparisons have been drawn between Messi’s goal and Maradona’s spectacular effort against England in the 1986 World Cup . According to Messi: “I wasn’t thinking about scoring the same goal as Maradona. At that moment I didn’t think. It was afterwards that we spoke about it in the dressing room. They started to compare it with Maradona’s goal and Deco even told me it was better. I only thought about celebrating it with the delight of having scored a goal”. However, this wasn’t just a goal. As Frank Rijkaard said after the match, this was “a work of art”.

Words of encouragement for Maradona

Messi sent a message via the assembled reporters to Diego Armando Maradona: “I’m sending him all my strength and best wishes. He knows how much I care for him and I hope he gets better soon”.

Messi himself has received an avalanche of messages of congratulations. He told reporters that the ones he valued most of all were those received from members of his family.

Total modesty

In spite of the tremendous excitement created by his spectacular goal, Lionel Messi revealed: “I didn’t stop to think about the goal and what it meant. I stay out of all that and what I want to do is to keep playing and learning. For me it’s already in the past and we must now think about the next match against Villarreal”.

Asked if he believed that his goal is the best in the history of FC Barcelona, Messi insisted: “There have been many good and important goals. I’ve got team-mates who have scored great goals, such as Ronaldinho and Eto'o”.