Lionel Messi and Barcelona are really interested in closing the year with flying colors, and in order to do that, Los Blaugranas want to add another trophy to crown the year 2015.
In an interview, Lionel Messi shared his thoughts about the upcoming Club World Cup semi-final, where the Champions League holders will face Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande. The player stated that this tournament has a special meaning for him, and winning it would cap a marvelous year.
"It's a lovely competition, it's one of my favorites. Not only for its value, but also for what it means, since you can't play it unless you've won the Champions League. It gives you the chance to finish off the year on a high note, and we would love to win the tournament and celebrate the holidays with the title in our hands," Messi said to FIFA's website.
"La Pulga" enjoyed his first training session with the team today, sharing a touch of his class with a couple of moves and a long-range goal.
Brilliant shot by Messi at training in Japan pic.twitter.com/BmHaDhzA03
— Mind Of Messi (@i10LeoMessi) December 14, 2015
Having never played in the Argentinean top flight, Lionel Messi has not played that much games facing teams from his home country. If things go as planned, he could be facing the most-winning side in Argentine football: River Plate. The 2015 Ballon D'Or nominee shared his thoughts about it.
"It’s a strange feeling. In my whole career I’ve only played against an Argentinian club once, and it was against Estudiantes. It was a very tough game, one in which we were losing for a long period and managed to equalise right on full time, before going on to win it in extra time. But it’s also something that motivates me, because River are a big club on a global scale. I think that if we play against them it’ll be a good match," Messi added.
Having won almost every major tournament there is, the Blaugrana superstar concluded the interview sharing with his fans how he keeps himself motivated to win even more trophies.
"There’s no need [to search for motivation]! We know just how much the Club World Cup means and for us it’s about winning another title, these championship wins are an indelible legacy in the history of the club. It’s something very important," the player said.
Barcelona will face the Asian champions this Thursday. You'll find TV Listings in your location to watch this game below.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
