Lionel Messi has given an interview to Paris Saint-Germain magazine underlining the development he has seen in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in recent years… The Argentine also detailed what takes to win Champions League gold - a quest in which he believes Paris Saint-Germain are well on their way to success.
Lionel Messi will be on the front page of the next edition of Paris Saint-Germain's in-house magazine. In an in-depth interview, the Argentinean genius spoke at length about the improvement he has seen in the level of Ligue 1 Uber Eats…
'A very competitive league'
"Ligue 1 has improved a lot in recent years," Messi told Paris Saint-Germain magazine. "PSG have contributed a lot to that. The club has significantly increased the visibility of Ligue 1 in the world. Today, it's a very competitive league, where any team is capable of beating you and hurting you. I see the French league as an increasingly balanced competition, like football in general. Today, in this sport, it has become more and more difficult to win every game."
And nowhere is it tougher to win matches than in the UEFA Champions League - but that's exactly what Paris Saint-Germain did when Kylian Mbappé struck a last-gasp wonder goal to put Messi & Co. in the driver's seat of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie with a 1-0 win over Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night.
Can Paris go all the way this time? That remains to be seen - starting with the return leg at Real's Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on 9 March - but the Argentine believes his new club are well on the way to success in lifting the trophy so coveted by the Parisian club and its Qatari owners.
'Focus on all the details'
"It's complicated to win the Champions League," said Messi, who has lifted Europe's top club trophy four times. "It's complicated because it's a competition that brings together the best teams, and the slightest detail, the slightest mistake can eliminate you. I think we have a team that can try to win it. We're excited about it and we really hope we can do it, but we have to take it easy. I repeat, it is difficult to win the Champions League. It's not always the best team that wins it and you really have to focus on all the details, thinking about being the strongest team possible. At the end of the day, it's the strongest teams that achieve their goals. And we're on the right track, looking to become even stronger than what we are."
He continued on the importance of collective unity, especially in terms of getting back to defend.
'Perform well all over the pitch'
"Let's just say that great teams have to perform well all over the pitch, in all their lines, in defence as well as in attack," said La Pulga. "I think it depends on the ability of a team to play as a team. Attackers can't just attack and defenders can't just defend. You have to form a strong and united team in both the defensive and offensive phases. It is this principle that will allow us to be a fully competitive team. A team that will try to win the Champions League as well as all the other titles we hope to win."
Fans' next chance to see Messi in action comes in Saturday's trip the Stade de la Beaujoire to take on an in-form FC Nantes.
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