Excerpts from an interview of Messi by Spanish journalist Gulliem Balague where he speaks about many things as he waits for his knee to get better.
GB: Has your perception of football changed at all since you had first Thiago and now Mateo?

LM: In a footballing sense nothing has changed but perhaps maybe it has in regards to facing those responsibilities that any father has with regards to the raising of his children.

GB: The world of football sometimes seems like something from another planet. Artificial debates are instigated, lies are told as if they were the truth, and great importance is given to things that matter very little. Do you sometimes feel like someone from another world, a boy in a world full of madmen?

LM: Yes, unfortunately we live in a society that lives at 1000 kms an hour, and in a sport as popular as football that grows and grows and becomes the escape valve for the problems of many people.

GB: Has it helped you having Cristiano Ronaldo around in the same era as yourself?

LM: These are things that people say. I don’t compete with Cristiano and I suppose he would not compete with me. What I want is the very best for my teams and that’s what I am working for.

GB: Do you accept that your relationship with Argentina could always be one of love-hate?

LM: The truth is I don’t because I know very well that while the majority of us Argentines are very passionate, we also treat well the stars who represent us. There are some who insult us and do not value those who play for their country, but even then I don’t reproach them because everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

GB: Can you ever see yourself playing in another league?

LM: I don’t want to look too far ahead. I live for the moment and at this moment I am with Barcelona in the Spanish League where I have made my living and where I live very well.

GB: What did you feel when you were injured? What was going through your head?

LM: A strange feeling, different from other times. I knew that it wasn’t a minor hit and that it was something more serious than just a slight knock.

GB: How do you feel today?

LM: Upbeat, wanting to get on with my recovery. Being injured is the worst feeling in the world for a sportsman, but right from the start I accepted that I had an injury and that the only thing to do was to recover from it the best way possible. The most important thing for me is to be at 100% fitness.