Footballer

You can't run a football club as if it was a supermarket.

Ronaldo is the best. He's a truly spectacular, very complete player, with enormous power. Opponents fear him.

Everything is relative and you have to learn that sometimes you win and other times you lose.

The best player ever? Pele.

If I lived my life over again I would stay in the countryside. I prefer the countryside, the milking of the cows and the sheep.

Pope Francis and I went to the same school.

I don't want to be idolized, I just want to play. And to do that you have to run and sweat.

There are some who when they play football they carry the ball ta-ta-ta, but they are jugglers not footballers. The less you have the ball at your feet the better.

The fans are always right. If they whistle or jeer someone, it's because they want him to be effective.

I tried my hardest and people rewarded me with applause.

In our neighborhood we used to hold major football sessions that went on until it got dark, with everyone playing against each other.

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pele was better.

We have to accept that failure is a necessary part of success.

I always felt like I had a job to do and that means you have to perform to perfection.

In football what counts is team spirit. It isn't an individual sport like boxing or tennis.

Kubala was one of the best there has ever been. His game was pure, crystalline, a real joy for the fans. What I remember is his spirit of comradeship, the loyalty he showed as a friend.

The whistles against Cristiano Ronaldo? The people in the crowd are the ones who pay, and they are always right.

Messi is the more technical player of the two. He's better inside the area, the way he handles the ball and dribbles. You can see that he enjoys himself playing. Cristiano has a better body and is physically very strong. He has pace, speed and is a player with courage, and he can use both feet.

I am interested in my life and nothing else.

The captaincy of the national side is a distinction which Messi deserves as he has all the qualities a captain requires - a combative character and immeasurable talent.