- Messi spoke out following Inter Miami move
- Discussed Pep Guardiola's influence
- Named his best ever teammates
WHAT HAPPENED? In an interview with Chinese outlet TTPlus, Argentina legend Messi has spoken out about his incredible time in Catalonia, paying tribute to former treble-winning Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and star teammates such as Xavi and Samuel Eto'o.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I'm still in contact with [Guardiola]," said Messi. "Winning the Champions League this time shows that he is the best coach in the world, he deserved to win the Champions League," he continued. On the subject of players that he was most comfortable passing to, Messi listed four names: "[Luis] Suarez, Xavi, Neymar, Eto’o…” Coming from a player as talented as Messi, that's some endorsement.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Messi clearly still has a lot of love for his old club, but the hard campaigning of Barca boss Xavi wasn't enough to bring him back to the La Liga champions. Instead, his next challenge will be in MLS with Inter Miami. The fact that this move takes him away from the European spotlight doesn't seem to have dampened rumours that he's in the driving seat to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or — but according to the Argentine, the coveted individual award is "no longer important".
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI? MLS supporters will be desperate to see the 35-year-old in action, but fans of Argentina's national team may not see Messi put on the famous blue and white jersey in a major tournament ever again. He announced in the same interview that he has no intention of playing at the 2026 World Cup, spelling the end of an era for arguably the greatest player of all time.