Conversations | Stepping into Messi's spiritual world: beyond the results, I hope everyone remembers that I am a good person

Messi opens his heart in the documentary "The Key to Eternity", showing his little-known inner world.

"The Key to Eternity" is a documentary program on Argentine public television, in which journalist Sophie Martínez and producers travel around the world to interview the members who became World Cup winners in Qatar. Their mission is to gain an emotional understanding of how everyone on the team prepares for the World Cup and how they build the team spirit of the winners. Once again, the documentary highlights the talent and unity of this Argentine team. Instead of traditional football media interviews, which rarely talk about routine content such as techniques and tactics, it tries to interpret world champions emotionally and psychologically. The episode of interviewing Messi led fans into the little-known inner world of the current football king. 

Moderator: First of all, Leo, thank you very much for accepting our interview. We're doing a series of interviews with world champion players to try to get to the mental level of world champions. For example, how do they remove anxiety, remove fear, remove the enthusiasm for winning. Also, in the environment around the World Cup, all of a sudden, it's time to play, how do they respond. In this series of interviews, we interviewed some of your teammates and we asked them the same question – what would you ask Messi?

Julian Álvarez: How can he be Messi himself? It's not just about football, it's about life. He has a lot of 'privileges', and there are many things that normal people can do but can't, how does he deal with it?

Messi: I try to deal with everyday life in the most normal way. I enjoyed being with my family, it was a treat. I like to spend time with them, share my life with them, and do simple things with my children, like picking them up and from school, or going to the park and the square with them. Since the beginning of my career, like Julian said, a lot of times I can be recognized by everyone, I'm used to it. It's nice to have everyone's love. Of course, sometimes there are things that I don't want to happen, but I've always treated it with a normal mindset, always doing what I feel I should do, and not thinking about many other things. It's easiest to be yourself, not to ask yourself to perform all the time.

Lisandro Martínez: What does the national team mean to you?

Messi: For me the national team is the biggest, and I've proven that since I represented the national team. There were particularly bad times in my national team career, when I was at my best at the club. In Barcelona, we won the Champions League and the league, and we don't stop winning them. Then I went to the national team and something completely different, I suffered a lot at that time, and so did my family and friends. But I've always wanted to play for the national team, despite all the things. I've been trying to win the World Cup and I've never given up on that dream. Thank God we finally won the World Cup. The national team is a treat for me, it was and is now, and despite all the hardships, it is very special.

Exetekir Palacios: I have to ask Messi, how long will he play in the national team? This is a question that everyone wants to ask. Actually, I don't want to ask anything, I just want to say that Leo is a very transparent, very normal person, and I regard him as a normal member of our collective, a person of ours, which is what I value the most. Players value their human side and respect for others is paramount.

Messi: Honestly, I don't know [how long I'll play in the national team], I think it will happen when it should happen. After so many accolades we've taken recently, the only thing we have to do now is enjoy. Time will eventually say when to stop, but for logic and age, it must be a short time. I don't know the exact moment, but the time will come. But I just want to simply live day by day and enjoy all these good times. Like I said before, I went through a very painful period with the national team and now we are lucky to be World Cup winners and Copa America winners, it is our turn to enjoy the moment.

Molina: (World Cup 1/4 final against the Netherlands, Messi's assist to Molina) Did you see me, or did you not see it? If you don't see it, do you hear me call you?

Messi: I see him, I see him running forward. My understanding is that the most normal passing option at the time was to the player in the ribs and I forget who it was, but I felt it was the most appropriate to pass the ball to Molina because I think the whole defense of the opponent was expecting something else at the time. I didn't hear him call me, but I saw him.

Thalia Fico: What is Messi's way to stay at the top level for so long?

Messi: Everything I've gained, first of all, thanks to the team. As an individual, spirit, perseverance, hard work, sacrifice, and always wanting to perform better are important. From a very young age, I was very responsible and sure of what I wanted to achieve. When I was very young, I always asked myself to give my best, to win the most titles. I've always been focused before the start of each season to keep winning, to keep surpassing myself, and just like that, day in and day out. At the same time, I was lucky and injuries have always treated me with respect.

De Paul: Everything he did to me. Even if we don't win the world championship, I will always say that to him. It's a human affair, and I want to thank him for treating me like that. Thank him for the way he speaks, and for the things he doesn't talk about, and for the things that support me and share with me. His confidence in me makes me feel comfortable, and that's why I want to thank him. He has gone above and beyond all obstacles, I really think he's a friend and I love him. That's all there is to it, and I want to thank him.

Messi: From the beginning, I had a special feeling with DePaul and I had a very wonderful relationship with him. He also helped me a lot because [after the 2018 World Cup] I stayed with the team and the previous team had disintegrated and there was no one left. I didn't go to the national team for a while, I didn't play the first few games, and when I arrived, the lads here didn't have a deep relationship with me, but he believed in me, he had a lot of confidence in me, he helped me a lot and let me integrate into the team, which is what I needed to do at that time. From day one, we were close to each other and had a great relationship.

Host: Have you been drinking yerba mate together since the beginning?

Messi: I don't remember the specifics, but the relationship between us started from the first training session, and it wasn't a relationship that was built on purpose. I was primarily about feelings, and we had a special feeling from the beginning.

Moderator: After Montiel scored the winning penalty in the final to make Argentina world champions, we asked DePaul what was the first thing that came to his mind and he said it was you. The first thing that comes to his mind is Leo, who says he is still young and that the face of defeat has always been Leo after Argentina was out of the previous World Cup. For him, the fairest thing is that Argentina won the World Cup this time, so the first thing that comes to his mind is Leo.

Messi: People say that all the time, and that's pretty much what it means, the lads want to be a world champion and they want to see me become a world champion. But not that wasn't the case before. It's not that if we win the world championship, everything will be different. We've been in the World Cup finals and the Copa America finals before, and I've enjoyed the old team, which is very similar to the current team, it's also a very healthy, very wonderful team, and I really enjoy life in that team day in and day out, just like now. I said before the World Cup that the previous team had a lot of similarities with this team. But I can feel it from this group, in quotes, that they grew up watching me play, and I can feel it in this group, which is a wonderful feeling.

Moderator: Have you read Enzo Fernandez's letter (Enzo wrote a letter to Messi when he was 15 years old, imploring him to stay with the national team)?

Messi: Yes, unbelievable. When the letters he wrote as a child came out, when I knew what was going on, I felt like I had just said all the time, and I really appreciated the love they gave me, the love they gave me from the beginning.

Paredes: The first thing Messi said to us after we became world champions was 'thank you, thank you, I love you, thank you'. It was an incredible moment.

Messi: It's really inexplicable because being a world champion means so much and it means so much to me personally. I've been through so much with the national team, suffered those bad results, but at the end of my career, I finally got the most important World Cup title, which was the only title I lacked and the one I wanted the most. I enjoyed every title, including the Champions League. Winning the Copa America was a magical moment for me because it was my first title with the national team, but then being a world champion means so much, for a player, for all of us, and for the country. What I feel is that I love the team very much. There are a lot of people that I may talk to and relate to more people than to other people, but overall, I have a special love for the team. I have a high level of respect for everyone. The group is wonderful.

Pezzera: How did you feel about Montiel's winning penalty?

Messi: He's in that situation, a bit of relaxation in quotes because we have the advantage and another chance, but I hope he can hit the penalty, he can finish and we can celebrate [the title]. It's a difficult moment to put into words, it's hard to write about our nervousness in the penalty shoot-out, it's hard to write about our joy after winning the world championship. Nothing I say is enough for that moment.

Moderator: Do you talk to yourself at that time? Will you ask for someone's help? For example, I would ask my grandmother. Would you ask someone—please, help me, help us a little more?

Macy: I've always said that everything depends on God's will, that He decides, decides when the moment comes, and that's always what I think. I always ask him and thank him for everything he has given me, both sports and family.

Dybala: Does he really know what he has created, or what he has achieved?

Messi: I think when you're playing, when you're always having a goal, every season you have a goal, you don't assess what you're getting. I'm still playing and enjoying every moment. I know it's the last few years of my career, but when I retire, I'll evaluate my career more. World championships can last our lives and will be eternal, especially for our country that loves football so much, it will go into history.

Host: We have a statistic that 60%-70% of Argentines have a picture of the World Cup in your hand. What I want to ask you is, when you face the World Cup final for the second time [after 2014], when you put on the shirt in the dressing room this time, do you think that this is your last game for Argentina in the World Cup?

Messi: No, I enjoyed a lot throughout the World Cup. I enjoyed the World Cup like I hadn't played the World Cup before. And because of what you said, I know this is my last World Cup. Seriously, I think if we hadn't won the World Cup, I wouldn't be in the national team by now.

Moderator: Are you serious?

Messi: Absolutely. So I tell you today that after becoming a world champion, I can't give up the national team, I have to enjoy all this. But while enjoying it, I was also calm because I had great faith in the group. In this World Cup, we went through a lot of difficulties, such as losing the first game, or like against the Netherlands, we started ahead, almost won the game, played much better than the opponent, were the protagonists of the game, and the Netherlands equalized at the last minute (the Netherlands scored two goals in the 83rd minute and in the 11th minute of stoppage time). How should our team play extra time? I was calm, I felt like this game was ours and it was at that moment that I felt we had to be world champions. I don't know how to explain the feeling, but I was very calm and I have been facing this World Cup with this mentality.

Host: You are now saying that if you don't win the World Cup, you will leave the national team, which was decided before?

Messi: Yes and no. Yes, because I've been through very, very difficult times with the national team, but we've won the Copa America and most of the fans have changed the way they speak, changed their opinions about the national team and especially about me. I know that if we don't win the World Cup, there will be a lot of criticism, not as much as before, but there will definitely be a lot of it, and I don't think after these things, I won't have the strength to stay with the national team, and that will be the end.

Moderator: This reminds me of what Guido Rodriguez said, it is this that Rodriguez and I want to ask you together, what are your thoughts on the most difficult times for the national team?

Messi: To be honest, it was a really difficult time. Because I was always winning at Barcelona, we played really well and everything in the team was praised, including the style of play, including the win, but when I set foot on Argentine soil, all I heard was criticism and rumours and the fans were muttering about you. I have to keep passing tests or rely on the result of a game. My luck at the time was that I didn't survive that way at the club and when things went bad, I went back to Barcelona and could forget about the bad things with the national team. We got a lot of criticism at that time, and the criticism that didn't look like that, or even more than criticism, was no longer a football thing, and I think those words were out of line and lacked respect. On the other hand, I know that although my family never shows it to me, I know that they have suffered a lot, that they are staying in the country, and that they have to digest that stuff.

Host: Have you ever cried for the national team? Because the national team has reached many finals before (and lost), this is probably the most difficult moment on the field?

Messi: No, crying is not crying. But we did suffer a lot, I had very, very difficult moments, but I never wanted to run away... But at some point it did think about (leaving the national team).

Moderator: In my opinion, that's not.

Messi: But these things have happened, things have happened to me, but I have always wanted to win something for the national team, and if it doesn't work out in the end, I have at least fought for it. I won everything at club and individual level, but nothing in the national team? This is logically impossible.

Host: What kind of team do you need to become a champion?

Messi: I don't know how to say it, I think it should be a very, very united team, very strong and knows how to give beautiful counterattacks to the opponent. The World Cup is a very difficult test, especially after the first loss to Saudi Arabia. We were unbeaten in 36 consecutive games before and we don't know how the team will react to this difficult moment. Many of my teammates are playing the World Cup for the first time, and I said before the World Cup that the first game against Saudi Arabia is very difficult because playing the World Cup is not an easy task. Whether you want to or not, anxiety, tension comes up at certain moments because it's a World Cup game. But the team showed that it didn't matter to anything else. After the match against Saudi Arabia, the team showed its strength.

Other than that, I think our team has a lot of growth in football, especially after winning the Copa America, the team played very well, everyone knows very well what needs to be done in every moment and that's what I think is the strongest thing about the team. That's when every player knows what they're going to do at every specific moment of the game, and that's the most important thing. The team is confident and then we can control the game and we can cope with every situation that arises.

Host: Even though it's not yet time to retire, with what you've achieved in Europe, what you've done for Argentina, how should people remember you 30 years from now?

Messi: I don't know, it's too difficult. I think I have always wanted to leave a very clear message to everyone, that is, to always strive for my dreams, no matter what happens along the way, to always strive to achieve my dreams, and I hope that this message can become a memory for the new generation of people. Then, as an ordinary person, I want to be remembered by everyone as a good person, not just for sports achievements. In particular, I hope that the people who know me, the teammates who have shared my experiences with me, will remember me as a good person.

Moderator: What I want to say to you is that I've heard every one of your teammates talk about you, and they say they will give 300% for you. In the World Cup, they are willing to give their lives for you every time it is their turn to contribute. I also see that the Argentine people are very happy now because seeing you lift the World Cup, I don't think that's what anybody in a suit gets, that's yours.

Messi: No, thank you very much. I feel a lot of love from the fans, I get love from all Argentines, except for a part of the media. I've always felt the love that most of the Argentines have cared for me, and now I can see the pure happiness of everyone, we can say that we are world champions, that's the pinnacle for me, that's the most beautiful, and I'm very grateful for that.

Compilation|Liang Hongye

Editor|Spicy soup