The League
By Camilo Encina
Lionel Messi’s Vacation Plans
Lionel Messi has already begun his vacation after leaving the Argentina national team’s camp early during this FIFA Date. Following his standout performance against Australia in a match held in China, Messi will not be participating in the upcoming game against Indonesia.
Messi’s focus is now on the break before his anticipated move to Inter Miami. The Argentine superstar surprised the world by confirming his decision to play in the United States after leaving PSG, effectively ruling out a return to Barcelona or a move to Saudi Arabia.
A Tasty Detail from Messi’s Past
During his time at Barcelona, Messi firmly closed the door on any possibility of returning to the club that nurtured his talent and propelled him to stardom. Thiago Motta, a Brazilian footballer who shared the dressing room with Messi during his early years, recently shared an interesting anecdote about how Messi was treated back then.
In an interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport, Motta revealed, “During a training session, I tackled Leo really hard, and his father, Jorge, came up to me and said I was being too rough. He told me everything. The truth is, that was the only way to stop him,” Motta said.
“We all knew he couldn’t afford to get injured. Messi was handled with extreme care during training. I learned a lot from Messi, and I even managed to steal the ball from him a few times, always being careful not to harm him,” Motta highlighted.
Challenges and Respect
“The beginning was far from easy. Practices felt like a war, and every time I had the ball, everyone would yell at me, ‘pass it to me, pass it to me.’ And they would come at me with such intensity! Puyol told me to do the same, and that’s when they started to respect me a bit more,” Motta recalled about his personal experience during that stage at Barcelona.
