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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/koalawhiskey on 2026-01-07 10:27:05+00:00.
Adding more quotes from Globoesporte’s article as well:
“I don’t like people talking about me for anything other than playing football.” In a rare interview given to the Argentine streaming channel Luzu TV, Lionel Messi opened up about his reclusive lifestyle, more focused on family life, with little media exposure, and made confessions about his well-known shyness and how it affects his daily life.
“I don’t like exposing myself or being in the media unless it’s for what I do on the pitch, which is what I know how to do,” he said.
In more than an hour of conversation, the Inter Miami star revealed his most personal side, as rarely seen throughout his successful career. Messi said he is a methodical and extremely organized person, to the point of losing his temper if his routine changes.
“I’ve always been organized. With my training clothes, my football things. I don’t like people touching my stuff; I need to know where everything is. I’ve been like this since I was a kid. The truth is that I have a side that’s a bit strange: I really like being alone. My mood depends on many things, on small, silly things, details. If they change what I was supposed to do… I’m very structured. If I have my day organized in a certain way and, in the middle of it, something happens…”
At 38 years old, Messi is married to Antonela Roccuzzo, whom he has known since he was six, and has three children: Thiago (13), Mateo (10), and Ciro (7). In the interview, the star said that at times he is bothered by his introverted nature.
“I don’t communicate much; I internalize everything. There was a time when I did therapy, in Barcelona, but later I stopped. I tend to keep things to myself, my problems. I’ve changed a lot, but still… Obviously, in daily life I talk to Antonela. I talk a lot with my father about the sporting side; after a match, I share that more with him, but day to day it’s with her,” he said.
“What I like least is when I shut down and find it very hard to come out of it. The one who gets me out of it the fastest is Mateo; he’s one of the few who can pull me out of that state. It’s just that I struggle to express myself, to communicate my problems, what’s going on. I know it’s not great, but that’s how I am.”
Very comfortable in the conversation with journalists Nicolás Occhiato and Diego Leuco, Messi recalled the start of his career, when he was approved in a trial at River Plate while still in the youth ranks. But he was not released by Newell’s Old Boys, and shortly afterward came the offer to go to Barcelona, at the age of 13.
Messi also talked about his objective style of play, with few flashy moves, always trying to put his talent at the service of the team.
“Many people say I don’t do step-overs, those kinds of things. I never liked them. When I was a kid I did them more, but back then those things people do with the ball didn’t even exist. I never liked them.”
Already established at the Spanish club, Messi suffered from not being able to shine with the Argentine national team. He recalled the moment when he announced he would no longer play for the country after losing his second consecutive Copa América final in 2016—a decision he soon regretted.
“At one point I thought I wasn’t going to go back (to the national team), but then I regretted it deeply, because I watched the matches and wanted to die. Thankfully I was able to reverse the decision, and I didn’t care if people said, ‘Oh, he left and now he’s back.’ It’s about never giving up, continuing to try, because in the end that’s what life is about: falling, getting back up, and trying again.”
Messi had to wait until 2021, already with a decade and a half of professional career, to win his first title with Argentina: the Copa América played in Brazil, with a victory over the Brazilian national team in the final at the Maracanã. From then on, the number 10 never stopped winning with the national team: the Finalissima in 2022, the long-awaited World Cup, also in 2022 in Qatar, and the back-to-back Copa América title in 2024.
“Thank God, I was able to do everything. God gave me much more than I ever imagined. When it seemed like it was already impossible, the trophies with the Argentine national team came, which was what I was missing the most. The Copa América came, and I thought at least I had won something with the national team, and then Qatar came. After that, we can be at peace knowing we’ve done everything. I’m completely grateful.”