Messi joined Barcelona when he was still just 13 and climbed through the Catalans’ ranks, making his first team debut at just 17. PHOTO:FILE
Argentine football star Lionel Messi said he could not play for any team other than Barcelona, where he has been since the age of 13.
“I cannot play for any team other than Barcelona,” he told reporters in Qatar, where he took part in a charity event.
But he added in answering a question about a possible transfer that he “did not know what the future hides”.
Messi joined Barcelona when he was still just 13 and climbed through the Catalans’ ranks, making his first team debut at just 17. He has gone on to win the Champions League three times with the Spanish giants as well as La Liga six times, and two Spanish Cups. On top of that he has been named world player of the year four times in a row.
Despite all his personal accolades, Messi refused to accept he is irreplaceable at Barca, insisting, according to a translation into Arabic, “I am part of a group, and we all work to help each other.”
Whilst in Doha, Messi launched a joint programme between his charity organisation and Qatari telecommunication company Ooredoo, aimed at helping children in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.
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