Messi calls Barcelona the ‘club of my life’ and Qatar 2022 the pinnacle of his career

Lionel Messi has called Barcelona the “club of my life” while reflecting on the golden generation he shared with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol. He spoke to the news agency EFE in Oviedo, ahead of collecting the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports.

The Argentine believes the secret of that era lay in enjoyment as much as silverware, and he described sharing a dressing room with those names, and many others, as a privilege. His explanation was strikingly simple and rooted in the daily routine.

“We were fortunate enough to win everything, and to do it the way we did. We enjoyed playing, winning and achieving important things, but above all, we enjoyed the day-to-day experience and training sessions. We had a great time.”

Now at Inter Miami after a spell at PSG, Messi admitted it was “difficult to sum up in just a few words” what Barcelona means to him. The city is where his three children were born, hence a “very, very special affection” for both.

After winning everything at club level with Barcelona, Messi described Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar as the pinnacle of his career, an achievement that was, in his words, “more than a dream”. It completed a career already overflowing with trophies.

Messi said his goals in that final, together with strikes in Champions League finals and El Clasico, rank among the most significant of his career, valued for “their importance, their moment, and the match itself”. Few players can lay claim to so many defining nights.

He also recalled his father, Jorge, with whom he was “constantly talking”, swapping thoughts after every training session or match. The advice that mattered most to him, Messi said, was simple, and it reflects the persistence behind his long career.

The advice, in Messi’s words: “To take hold of the ball and try, and whether it works out or not, not to settle for that, because there is always another chance.”

Asked how he would like to be remembered, Messi replied: “As a great athlete who always fought for his goals and dreams: sometimes I succeeded, and sometimes I did not, but I never stopped trying to win everything that was in front of me.”

He closed by noting that “there are many people who possess many abilities but fall behind because of a lack of opportunities”. Joining a list of winners that includes Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, the Gasol brothers and Michael Schumacher, he said, was an honour.