Messi: We can get even better

Messi: We can get even better
Three years on from his definitive explosion onto the world football scene, Argentina's Lionel Messi needs little introduction. The inspiration behind his country's triumph at the FIFA World Youth Championship 2005 and one of the first names on the team sheet at club and international level, the player nicknamed La Pulga (The Flea) does not even turn 21 until later this month.
Next on the agenda for the Rosario-born superstar are the Albiceleste's qualifying clashes against Ecuador and Brazil, and the opportunity for Alfio Basile's men to take a decisive step towards appearing at another FIFA World Cup™ finals. With this exciting double-header just days away, Messi spoke exclusively to FIFA.com about his current form, his hopes for South Africa 2010 and his experiences at Germany 2006.
'A unique experience'Even for a man accustomed to appearing at planet football's biggest competitions, it quickly becomes clear that the FIFA World Cup holds a special place in Messi's heart. "I was fortunate enough to take part in Germany 2006 and it proved to be a unique experience. Not only did I celebrate my 19th birthday while I was there, but I had the opportunity to play against the best players in the world," says the Barcelona forward. "Even though we weren't able to go on and take the title, there just aren't words to describe having played and scored a goal against Serbia and Montenegro." And should Argentina safely negotiate the South American Zone's notoriously difficult qualifying phase, they will have the chance to set the record straight after their quarter-final exit at the hands of the host nation two years ago. "We've got really high expectations for the tournament in South Africa, even though there are still a couple of years to go," Messi admitted. "We're building a very strong team, so it (reaching the finals) is currently one of the main challenges of my career." "The qualifying process is very long and we've got time to get even better. We're second in the standings at the moment, so we can feel reasonably secure and confident that we'll qualify. We're getting stronger every day," says a player who was not even born at the time of Argentina's success at Mexico 1986. Has the time arrived for him to follow in the footsteps of Diego Armando Maradona? "It's a real honour to be compared with Diego, but there was and will only ever be one Maradona. Let's hope that I can match what he achieved with the national team. That would be a dream come true, and I work hard every day so I can achieve precisely that. It would be marvellous to win a third World Cup for my country."
Mission South AfricaBefore they can turn their thoughts to lifting the famous Trophy once more, Messi and Argentina must ensure they continue their good start to the preliminary phase. Notwithstanding, the young Albiceleste can barely contain his excitement at the prospect of the competition on African soil. "It would be marvellous to play in a country like South Africa. I really like the fact that the World Cup can be held in a variety of continents and countries, and not just in Europe or the Americas."
That said, he still has much to learn about the country that could welcome him and his fellow Argentinians in 2010. "I don't know much about South African football yet, except for those footballers who have played for European clubs, but I know that the sport over there is constantly evolving," says the fleet-footed forward. "Unfortunately I couldn't make Barcelona's trip to South Africa last year, but I have noticed that their national team are technically very gifted. There's no doubt that hosting the World Cup will help them improve a great deal."
And how does he feel the Bafana Bafana will get on at the elite competition? "It's hard to say now how South Africa will get on in 2010, but let's hope they perform well," says the Barça idol. "If the host nation does well it's good for the tournament and boosts its popularity. Playing on home turf is very special, I'm sure they'll know how to make the most of it."
For Messi, however, his immediate priorities are the games against Ecuador and Brazil on 15 June and 18 June respectively. The latter match, to be played in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, could be a golden opportunity to get revenge on Dunga's men, 3-0 winners in the last two meetings between the South American superpowers.
And does Messi believe the Albiceleste can return the favour on their arch-rivals' home patch? "Brazil have beaten us twice in a row and we're all keen to pay them back for that. We've got to beat them once and for all, the moment has arrived. If I put on a good display then great, but the priority is a win for the team that would smooth our path towards the World Cup."
And as far as neutral football fans are concerned, any result that helps ensure Lionel Messi will grace the pitches of South Africa in two years' time can only be a good thing.

Biography

Profile:

Full name: Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birth day: June 24, 1987
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
Other nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward
Debut: 17 November 2003


Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player.

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.

In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).

With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messi became a regular feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in The Netherlands. Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best football player of all time.

On September 25, 2005 Messi obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of their quota of non-EU players.

Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski

News

-- Barcelona 3-0 Atletico de Madrid (07-10-2007 19:44)
-- Levante 1 - 4 Barcelona (29-09-2007 21:49)
-- Barcelona 2-1 Sevilla (23-09-2007 19:43)
-- Barcelona 3 - 0 Lyon (20-09-2007 07:31)
-- Mexico 0-3 Argentina - Copa America (12-07-2007 10:57)
-- Gimnastic 1-5 Barcelona 2 goals by Messi (18-06-2007 13:15)
-- Barcelona vs Espanyol Messi Goal like Maradona (10-06-2007 13:28)
-- Barcelona vs Getafe great goal by Messi like Diego Maradona (19-04-2007 12:14)
-- Barcelona 2 - 1 Deportivo de la Coruna (02-04-2007 17:57)
-- Messi does a Ronaldinho (16-10-2006 00:23)
-- Messi goal rescues Barca (27-09-2006 23:10)
-- FC Barcelona triumph over Osasuna with 3-0 (11-09-2006 17:07)
-- Barca is more than a club (06-08-2006 09:22)
-- Lionel Messi Quote Argentina 2-1 Mexico (25-06-2006 08:02)
-- Lionel Messi Quote Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (21-06-2006 22:16)
-- Goal Lionel Messi min 88 Argentina 6-0 Serbia and Montenegro (16-06-2006 15:03)
-- Pekerman not Messi-ing around (10-06-2006 15:57)
-- Messi not prepared to put a date on his return (30-04-2006 17:48)
-- Messi to continue recuperation in Argentina (14-04-2006 21:35)
-- Ronaldinho and Messi nominated for the sporting Oscars (07-04-2006 14:46)
-- Recovery programme (27-03-2006 10:27)
-- Messi out for a month (10-03-2006 14:33)
-- CRESPO COOLS MESSI ROW (05-03-2006 23:15)
-- Sportswear giants in a Messi (05-03-2006 21:45)
-- Chelsea might go for Plan B (05-03-2006 21:44)

Lionel Messi Why Is He Famous

Lionel Messi Why Is He Famous?
In June 2005, Lionel Messi led Argentina’s Under-20 squad to the World Youth Championship, picking up top-scorer and outstanding-player honors along the way.

Lionel Messi Statistics

League
Typestats
Total
Games played
28
Games won
16
Games drawn
7
Games lost
5
Games started
23
Games as substitute
5
Games replaced
10
Minutes played
2087
Minutes as a starter
1926
Minutes as a substitute
161
Goals for
10
Goals as a starter
9
Goals as a substitute
1
Headed goals
0
Goals from direct free kicks
0
Goals from penalties
4
Assists
41
Assists
10
Shots
68
Shots wide
17
Shots on goal
32
Shots against the woodwork
1
Offsides
6
Yellow cards
2
Yellow cards caused
14
Red cards
0
Red card for two bookings
0
Red Cards caused
1
Fouls committed
33
Fouls received
77
Corners
1
Balls won back
39
Balls lost
222
Penalties saved
2
Penalties given away
0
Champions League statistics
Champions League
Typestats
???label.est.total???
Games played
9
Games won
5
Games drawn
3
Games lost
1
Games started
9
Games as substitute
0
Games replaced
3
Minutes played
755
Minutes as a starter
755
Minutes as a substitute
0
Goals for
6
Goals as a starter
6
Goals as a substitute
0
Headed goals
0
Goals from direct free kicks
0
Goals from penalties
1
Assists
15
Assists
0
Shots
28
Shots wide
5
Shots on goal
16
Shots against the woodwork
1
Offsides
1
Yellow cards
2
Yellow cards caused
4
Red cards
0
Red card for two bookings
0
Red Cards caused
0
Fouls committed
4
Fouls received
20
Corners
0
Balls won back
24
Balls lost
74
Penalties saved
1
Penalties given away
0
Spanish Cup statistics
Spanish Cup
Typestats
???label.est.total???
Games played
3
Games won
1
Games drawn
2
Games lost
0
Games started
2
Games as substitute
1
Games replaced
0
Minutes played
239
Minutes as a starter
190
Minutes as a substitute
49
Goals for
0
Goals as a starter
0
Goals as a substitute
0
Headed goals
0
Goals from direct free kicks
0
Goals from penalties
0
Assists
4
Assists
0
Shots
17
Shots wide
2
Shots on goal
10
Shots against the woodwork
0
Offsides
0
Yellow cards
2
Yellow cards caused
2
Red cards
0
Red card for two bookings
0
Red Cards caused
1
Fouls committed
4
Fouls received
9
Corners
0
Balls won back
3
Balls lost
20
Penalties saved
0
Penalties given away
0
Stats provided by Gecasport.