The Argentine ace admitted that time is catching up to him, and he needs to take care of himself to extend his playing career.

Even though he was not happy to start the game against Juventus on the bench, Lionel Messi admitted that it was the right call by Ernesto Valverde.

Speaking at the Golden Boot gala, where fellow team-mate and friend Luis Suárez passed on the award, Messi revealed the reasons that forced his boss to keep him on the bench despite the relevance of the game.

"I don't like being left out, that's why there's a big fuzz everytime I start a game on the bench. Now more than ever, I understand that the season is very long, and every one of them gets more difficult. You have to take care of yourself so you can recover properly, each season gets tougher than the last," Messi stated.

Speaking about the game against Valencia, Messi hinted that this game will be the most difficult for Los Blaugranas up to this date, especially due to their opponents' fine form.

"It's going to be a hard match, especially because it's an away game. Valencia has put together a great team, coached by one of the best around. Added to that, they play only once a week, which helps them recover properly. Even so, we've been playing some good football and we'll try to keep it that way," the Argentinean concluded.

Here's the moment when Suárez gave Messi the 2016-17 Golden Boot award.