Standup9ja: Messi, Barca aiming to win everything
Lionel Messi is targeting a clean sweep of trophies under
new Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde next season.
Barca won nine trophies of a possible 13 in three seasons
under Luis Enrique but missed out on both La Liga and the Champions League this
year.
Former Athletic Bilbao boss Valverde begins his quest for
success with the Super Cup against league winners Real Madrid in August, and
Messi said, “Our objective at the beginning of the season was to win
everything.
“We’ll try again next season. The objective is to get back
to winning everything.”
Messi was speaking at the launch of the Leo Messi
Experience, a theme park in Nanjing, China, that opens in 2019. His promotional
commitments mean he has not yet had a chance to meet Valverde, but he said: “I
don’t know the new Barca coach personally, but we’ll meet in the next few days.
“I know him from the teams he’s coached, the [Athletic
Bilbao] side of recent years. I don’t know how he works, so we’ll get to know
each other once we introduce ourselves.”
Speaking at his presentation on Thursday, Valverde spoke of
his delight at being given the chance to work with the five-time World Player
of the Year at Camp Nou.
“I feel very lucky,” he said. “It’s a unique experience to
coach the best player I have ever seen on a football pitch.”
Messi, who turns 30 later this month, is out of contract
next summer, but Valverde said everyone at Barcelona was optimistic that an extension
would be forthcoming.
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