Qatar sport COVER.indd - Qatar Olympic Committee

THE BIG INTERVIEW
says that with a new man in position
there is a new spirit in the camp and a real
sense of optimism about the future and, in
particular, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“We have started a new project with a
new coach and we are optimistic about
our prospects,” he said.
“We are working hard to make the
dream of becoming world champions
come true.”
While Argentina may be a work in
progress, FC Barcelona is a continuing
masterpiece.
HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS
The team has famously been built
around the output of its academy with a
production line of hugely talented players
waiting in the wings to step seamlessly
into the first team as and when required.
Their pursuit of success is simply
relentless and unless something goes very
badly wrong, there is absolutely no sign
of the wheels coming off any time soon.
Football fans no longer debate whether
Barcelona is the best team in Spain or
Europe but whether they are the best
football team in history.
So how does a man who has already
won more or less everything in football
maintain his hunger for success? It seems
that winning has its own way of keeping
Messi focused.
“The most important thing is to be
happy and to have fun in your job. If
you’re having fun it is easier to stay
motivated. Winning is a great feeling
and that helps make playing fun. I get
something from making the supporters
and their children happy.”
The focus on children is reflected
elsewhere in Messi’s life. Back in 2007 he
set up the Leo Messi Foundation, a
charity which sets out to provide access
to healthcare and education for
vulnerable children.
Childhood illness is something
Messi knows all about. As an 11-yearold
he was diagnosed with a growth
hormone deficiency and required regular
treatments costing some $900 a month.
His club was unwilling or unable to meet
the cost of the treatment but Barca was
happy to step in. The young Messi moved
to Spain with his father and joined the
fabled Barcelona academy.
Today the Leo Messi Foundation’s
projects include supporting children
from Argentina with health problems by
covering the cost of their treatment in
Spain. The Foundation is funded partly
by Messi’s own revenue raising efforts
and partly by Herbalife, the healthcare
company with which he has a three year
endorsement contract.
“Being a bit famous now gives me the
opportunity to help people who really
need it,” Messi told one interviewer some
years ago. “A bit famous” has to be one of
the great understatements of all time.
Messi, who is also a UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador, appears
omnipresent in global sports marketing.
He’s the face of the computer game
Pro-Evolution Soccer and appears in
advertisements for Adidas as well as his
work with Herbalife.
In fact his ‘little bit’ of fame is probably
best summed up by the pulling power of
his Facebook page which had attracted
six million or so followers within a couple
of hours of being launched earlier this
year. Today the number is around four
times that.
UNIFYING FORCE
In a world in which so many football
stars are somewhat divisive figures,
Messi is a unifying force. His genius
comes wrapped up in an engaging
humility that is absent elsewhere which
means that no matter what nationality
you are or which club you may support,
Messi enjoys a special status and global
adoration that other brilliant players
- notably his former Argentina boss
Diego Maradona - never quite achieved.
Maradona may have had all the skill you
could wish for but his brash persona
meant that while he was admired he was
not universally loved.
Messi, on the other hand wears his
superstardom well, praising those around
him for his success. This modesty extends
to reflecting on his own collection
of goals which he is amassing at a
frightening rate. A goal every two games
is considered good going for any out and
out striker but Messi, has far better than
that from midfield and out wide.
So maybe it’s because there are so
many to choose from but he’s unable to
select his favourite goal.
“Every goal is special so I just don’t
have a concrete favourite,” he told Qatar
Sport. “Goals are the result of a good
team performance. However, to score in
any final gives you a special feeling.”
“The best players are
always in the thick of
the action. (Michael)
Jordan did it with the
Bulls, (Kobe) Bryant
does it with the Lakers
and Leo does it here.
We want him to stay
with us because he’s the
best and we wouldn’t
swap him for anyone.”
Pep Guardiola
Qatar Sport | Issue 15 | 15