19.04.2007 12:08
Messi - the day after
Barça’s man-of-the-match against Getafe, Messi, spoke to reporters in the Camp Nou on Thursday and relived what, for many football pundits around the world, is the best goal since Maradona’s famous solo effort against England in the 1986 World Cup.
Lionel Messi reported for training today as if nothing had happened. But the fact is that the
images of his amazing goal have appeared on television and in the newspapers of the entire world.
The consensus is clear – it is one of the best goals ever seen in the history of football and
of FC Barcelona. Today, despite the huge buzz of media excitement in the Camp Nou, Messi was, as
usual, calm and extremely modest.
Comparisons with Maradona
Inevitably, many comparisons have been drawn between Messi’s goal and Maradona’s
spectacular effort against England in the
1986
World Cup
. According to Messi: “I wasn’t thinking about scoring the same goal as
Maradona. At that moment I didn’t think. It was afterwards that we spoke about it in the
dressing room. They started to compare it with Maradona’s goal and Deco even told me it was
better. I only thought about celebrating it with the delight of having scored a goal”.
However, this wasn’t just a goal. As Frank Rijkaard said after the match, this was “a
work of art”.
Words of encouragement for Maradona
Messi sent a message via the assembled reporters to Diego
Armando Maradona: “I’m sending him all my strength and best wishes. He knows how much I
care for him and I hope he gets better soon”.
Messi himself has received an avalanche of messages of congratulations. He told reporters
that the ones he valued most of all were those received from members of his family.
Total modesty
In spite of the tremendous excitement created by his spectacular goal, Lionel Messi revealed:
“I didn’t stop to think about the goal and what it meant. I stay out of all that and
what I want to do is to keep playing and learning. For me it’s already in the past and we
must now think about the next match against Villarreal”.
Asked if he believed that his goal is the best in the history of FC Barcelona, Messi
insisted: “There have been many good and important goals. I’ve got team-mates who have
scored great goals, such as Ronaldinho and Eto'o”.