Lionel Messi is considered by many to be the greatest footballer of his generation and some would suggest the greatest player in history along with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentine national, who has spent his entire career playing for FC Barcelona has been dazzling fans at the Camp Nou with his incredible close control, dribbling ability and precise finishing for over a decade at a consistently remarkable level.
What a lot of soccer fans appreciate about Messi apart from his obvious talent is his hunger, humbleness and attitude on the pitch.
Below are 37 inspiring Lionel Messi quotes on ambition, dedication, life and success in football. Enjoy!
37 Lionel Messi Quotes
1. “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” – Lionel Messi
2. “The best decisions aren’t made with your mind, but with your instinct.” – Lionel Messi
3. “You can overcome anything, if and only if you love something enough.” – Lionel Messi
4. “There are more important things in life than winning or losing a game.” – Lionel Messi
5. “When the year starts, the objective is to win with all the team, personal records are secondary.” – Lionel Messi
6. “Being a bit famous now gives me the opportunity to help people who really need it, especially children.” – Lionel Messi
7. “Every year I try to grow as a player and not get stuck in a rut. I try to improve my game in every way possible. But that trait is not something I’ve worked on, it’s part of me.” – Lionel Messi
8. “I think my desire to always get better, [is a trait that accounts for my success], to always want more, to always be my top critic, and accepting the good and the bad.” – Lionel Messi
9. “Something deep in my character allows me to take the hits and get on with trying to win.” – Lionel Messi
10. “The only thing that matters is playing. I have enjoyed it since I was a little boy, and I still try to do that every time I go out on to a pitch. I always say that when I no longer enjoy it or it’s no longer fun to do it, then I won’t do it anymore. I do it because I love it and that’s all I care about.” – Lionel Messi
11. “I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.” – Lionel Messi
12. “There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it’s just by signing an autograph. A child’s smile is worth more than all the money in the world.” – Lionel Messi
13. “I never think about the play or visualize anything. I do what comes to me at that moment. Instinct. It has always been that way.” – Lionel Messi
14. “I am competitive and I feel bad when we lose. You can see it in me when we’ve lost. I’m in a bad way. I don’t like to talk to anyone.” – Lionel Messi
15. “For my part, I try to do my bit to make people’s lives more bearable, in particular children across the globe who are having problems.” – Lionel Messi
16. “I have many years to get better and better, and that has to be my ambition. The day you think there is no improvements to be made is a sad one for any player.” – Lionel Messi
17. “I’ve always really just liked football, and I’ve always devoted a lot of time to it. When I was a kid, my friends would call me to go out with them, but I would stay home because I had practice the next day. I like going out, but you have to know when you can and when you can’t.” – Lionel Messi
18. “I prefer to win titles with the team ahead of individual awards or scoring more goals than anyone else. I’m more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with? When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy.” – Lionel Messi
19. “I’m lucky to be part of a team who help to make me look good, and they deserve as much of the credit for my success as I do for the hard work we have all put in on the training ground.” – Lionel Messi
20. “Money is not a motivating factor. Money doesn’t thrill me or make me play better because there are benefits to being wealthy. I’m just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn’t paid to be a professional footballer I would willingly play for nothing.” – Lionel Messi
21. “You cannot allow your desire to be a winner to be diminished by achieving success before and I believe there is room for improvement in every sportsman.” – Lionel Messi
22. “In football as in watchmaking, talent and elegance mean nothing without rigour and precision.” – Lionel Messi
23. “Being named among the best at something is special and beautiful. But if there are no titles, nothing is won.” – Lionel Messi
24. “Whether it’s a friendly match, or for points, or a final, or any game – I play the same. I’m always trying to be my best, first for my team, for myself, for the fans, and to try and win.” – Lionel Messi
25. “I always thought I wanted to play professionally, and I always knew that to do that I’d have to make a lot of sacrifices. I made sacrifices by leaving Argentina, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for football, to achieve my dream.” – Lionel Messi
26. “I used to serve tea at a shop to support my football training.” – Lionel Messi
27. “This is why I didn’t go out to parties and many other things. I am successful because I made sacrifices for success.” – Lionel Messi
28. “I don’t need the best hairstyle or the best body. Just give me a ball at my feet and I’ll show you what I can do.” – Lionel Messi
29. “I go out and do the best I can in each game, and I don’t think about the fouls other players will commit or whether I might be injured. It only does you harm to worry about those things.” – Lionel Messi
30. “I know how important it is to have a helping hand. In my childhood I had difficult times because of hormonal problems. If I hadn’t had support, I wouldn’t have been able to fulfil my dreams.” – Lionel Messi
31. “It takes sacrifice as well as talent.” – Lionel Messi
32. “Everything that’s happened to me in my career has been special, even the tough times because they leave marks on you that shape your life.” – Lionel Messi
33. “My ambition is to always get better and better.” – Lionel Messi
34. “I’m never satisfied. I always push my limits and I always try to get better every day.” – Lionel Messi
35. “I try to use pressure to help me in every game. Pressure helps me do things to the best of my ability. I like it. I don’t feel pressure; quite the contrary, because I always enjoy what I’m doing and that’s playing football.” – Lionel Messi
36. “I always want more. Whether it’s a goal, Or winning a game, I’m never satisfied.” – Lionel Messi
37. “From the first day you are told if you want to be the best then stay out the nightclubs!” – Lionel Messi
Did you find these Lionel Messi Quotes inspiring?
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