Lionel Messi Reflects on Barcelona’s Golden Era Ahead of 2026 Asturias Award
Lionel Messi has revisited the memories that shaped his remarkable Barcelona career, saying the team’s greatest secret was not simply its collection of trophies but the enjoyment shared by its players. In an interview ahead of receiving the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Sport, the Argentine described the daily happiness of training and competing with a group of football legends as one of the defining parts of his time at the club.
Now playing for Inter Miami, Messi is due to receive the prestigious honour in Oviedo next Friday at a ceremony presided over by Spain’s King and Queen. Speaking to Spanish news agency EFE in an interview carried by Mundo Deportivo, he looked back on the Barcelona years with affection—and offered a reminder that success can mean more than medals and records.
Barcelona’s success was built on enjoyment
Messi’s Barcelona career brought an extraordinary run of domestic and international honours. But when asked what made that era special, he focused on the experience of playing together rather than the final count of titles.
“With Barcelona we won everything, and the way we won it! We enjoyed playing,” Messi said. He added that the team was fortunate not only to achieve major results, but also to enjoy the process: the football, the victories and, just as importantly, the routine of working together every day.
“We enjoyed the daily training sessions,” he recalled, describing the period as a collection of wonderful times. That detail offers a glimpse into the culture behind Barcelona’s success. At the highest level of football, pressure can make every match feel like a test; Messi’s memories suggest that trust, shared ambition and pleasure in the work helped the team turn that pressure into consistent performance.
A dressing room of extraordinary talent
Messi also spoke about the privilege of sharing a dressing room with players such as Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol, alongside many other outstanding teammates. Their different strengths helped define a Barcelona side admired for its technical skill, movement and ability to control matches.
For supporters, the names evoke a distinctive chapter in the club’s history. For Messi, however, they also represent the people with whom he experienced the everyday reality of that success. His reflections make clear that the memories are not limited to famous finals or trophy celebrations; they include the relationships and routines that formed around the team.
Why Barcelona remains personal to Messi
Messi admitted that it is difficult to explain in only a few words what Barcelona means to him. The club and the city are closely connected to his life, making his bond with them far more personal than a record of appearances and achievements.
“I lived many wonderful moments at the club and in the city, and my three children were born there,” he said. “So it is natural that I hold a very special love for the city and the club.”
That connection helps explain why Barcelona remains central to the story of his career, even after his departure for Paris Saint-Germain and later move to Inter Miami. His years in Spain were not just a professional chapter: they were also the setting for major family milestones and a substantial part of his life away from the pitch.
Argentina’s World Cup triumph was the pinnacle
Despite the many honours he won with Barcelona, Messi identified Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup victory in Qatar as the pinnacle of his career. The achievement, he said, was “more than just a dream”—a description that captures the emotional weight of finally lifting football’s most coveted international trophy with his country.
Messi also singled out goals that remain especially meaningful to him. Those scored in the World Cup final stand among his most important because of their timing, the occasion and the significance of the match. He placed them alongside goals in Champions League finals and El Clásico, fixtures that carry enormous expectations for players and supporters alike.
For fans considering a football prediction before a major final, the focus often falls on form, tactics and likely scorers. Messi’s recollections offer a different perspective: the moments that endure are shaped not only by the result, but by what is at stake and how the performance unfolds.
The advice from his father that stayed with him
The interview also turned to Messi’s late father, Jorge, who died last August. Messi remembered the pair as being in constant conversation, discussing ideas after training sessions and matches. Among the guidance he received, one message stood out: take responsibility, try to make something happen and do not give up if the first attempt fails.
“To take hold of the ball and try, and whether it works out or not, not to settle for that, because there is always another chance,” Messi recalled.
The advice reflects a principle that has accompanied Messi throughout his career. His talent has been unmistakable, but his willingness to keep attempting difficult things has also been central to his football. The message is equally relevant beyond sport: setbacks do not have to become a final verdict when another opportunity may follow.
How Messi hopes to be remembered
When asked how he would like people to remember him, Messi did not limit his answer to statistics or silverware. He said he hopes to be seen as a great athlete who consistently fought for his goals and dreams—sometimes succeeding and sometimes falling short, but never giving up on the ambition to win.
He also used the moment to acknowledge that ability alone does not guarantee success. Many people, he observed, have considerable talent but are held back by a lack of opportunity. The comment adds a broader note to an interview centred on personal memories, recognising that access, support and circumstances can shape how far someone is able to go.
Receiving the Princess of Asturias Award places Messi among an illustrious group of previous honourees, including Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, the Gasol brothers and Michael Schumacher. For the Argentine, joining that company is an honour in itself. For football followers, the award also provides an occasion to look beyond the goals and trophies and consider the values he says mattered most: persistence, gratitude, teamwork and enjoyment of the game.
