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17, OCT 04 20:00
Messi: "I still have a lot to learn"
BARÇA BITE
Monday, unusual training session
Monday's training session will be nothing like the normal ones you can see in La Masía. The players have to be at Camp Nou at 9:30, where they'll go to the Barcelona Tennis Club to play tennis for about 90 minutes.
'Leo' Messi is the youngest ever Barça player to debut in the league. His debut last Saturday was , for him, "like a dream". However, he admitted that: "I still have a lot to learn."
A derby is always a special occasion, but last Saturday's was even more so for one player: Lionel Messi, who made his league debut for Barça. The stage was the Lluís Companys Stadium, where he had just five minutes to prove his worth, but it was enough for him to take part in a move that could have ended in a goal: "I had the chance, but it just wasn't to be; I hope that next time it'll turn out right," Messi said in the press conference held after Sunday's training session.
The moments before coming on the pitch
"When I was in he hotel I thought it might be my debut night, but once I was on the bench, seeing how the game was going, I felt sure I wouldn't go on", admitted Messi. Finally, Rijkaard decided it was his debut day: "I was over the moon when he told me to warm up, and when I was about to go on, I just wanted to get out there and start playing. I didn't let it go to my head, I wasn't nervous."
Even though Messi accepts "I didn't really have time to do much, but I enjoyed it", the Argentinean says for him football is fun: "I always try to enjoy myself".
A meteoric rise
Messi, who joined Barça at 13 after playing for Newell's Old Boys in Argentina, has had a spectacular rise through the club's ranks: in just three years he's gone from the Junior A team to Barça B, where he became a squad member last season. Despite this, Messi has his feet placed firmly on the ground, and admits that: "I still have a lot to learn, I'm still young".
The Milan test
"Now I'll continue with Barça B and do my best for them", he added. However, given the number of injuries plaguing Barça at the moment, it's likely that Messi will be called up for Rijkaard's squad for the next few games. The next test for the youngster could be the Champions League tie against AC Milan in San Siro. On this possibility, Messi said that "Rijkaard hasn't said anything yet, for now, I'll carry on training with them and if I get called up, I'll enjoy the trip and being on the bench."
The differences between Barça B and the first team
Messi has played other derbies wearing a Barça shirt, but after last Saturday's game with the first team, the young Argentinean recognises that: "the game is really different, the pace is faster and the opponents are livelier and more experienced".
A present for his mother
As this Sunday is mother's day in Argentina, 'Leo' Messi said he would phone her to give her the news.
[此贴子已经被作者于2005-7-1 19:39:37编辑过]
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