Messi: 'I appreciate the attitude of Guardiola'

Barcelona's Argentine striker Lionel Messi said on Saturday that is very grateful to coach his club, Pep Guardiola, for their support and understand what they felt as a player, since the Spanish also won Olympic gold in the Olympic Games in Barcelona 92.

"He was a player and a player knows how to think in those moments, I knew it was in a difficult situation for me, and he supported me since he came to Barcelona from the first day I talked to him," said Messi.

The Barca coach, who came to declare that what mattered most was the happiness Messi even before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided that the Spanish club was entitled to claim him, "Porto 10 points, and the truth is that I am very grateful, "he added.

On the experience of Guardiola in 1992 "I spoke very little," said the Argentine, "but told me what he played, which is something very beautiful and also understand why my position of wanting to stay here."

Messi also commented on the situation after the resolution of TAS and the agreement between Barcelona and the football associations of Argentina (AFA) to enable him to stay to fight the JJOO. "I was always quiet," he said, "always said what I wanted when it came out of TAS was also quiet because the club knew what I meant and ported very well with me and let me stay. The truth is that I did not have any problem because he had already spoken to the club, "he said.

Also in connection with Barcelona, Messi was pleased that the Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o decide to stay in the team, because "today is the best striker in the world, and I do not think you have another like him and have him on our team is something important. "

The Argentine also thanked journalists before the heat on Thursday that Argentina was encouraged by Chinese followers, and said himself that although he points out as the star football from the Games, he simply tries to "make things right and overcome every day. "

Messi also took the opportunity to clarify the talk he had with Juan Roman Riquelme, among rumors of a bad relationship between the two, according to Argentine media, comes from the americas Cup 2007 in Venezuela. "It became clear that he never gave importance, neither he nor I, all that is said. That's something that you are armed," he told reporters, "and since we were always quiet."

During the training last Sunday, when they were seen chatting and smiling for a long time, "he was talking about how the group, team, which also commented that we were hair and that was not true, all very normal, as two companions. "

On his morning match against Australia, Messi said "never trust us, and we know that every game is going to be dificilísmo." "We know that we should show everything inside the stadium," he said.

A possible clash in the Games with the Brazilian Ronaldinho has divided Messi, who on the one hand knows that "will be much harder against him," but also stressed that "it is always nice to win a final and more to Brazil" .

However, Messi knows that football is the sport most likely to give him a gold medal at these Games in Argentina. "Maybe, because the Games are won and we are defending it, and we have very good players, very good team, although that is why the pressure is greater still," he concluded.