It is not so often that a world class player of Lionel Messi's stature is willing to openly speak to the press about his private life. On November 3, 2015, Messi interviewed with Four Four Two to discuss some aspects of his personal life. The international superstar describes his young son Thiago as "the most important thing in my life", far exceeding his passion for the game that brought him to global prominence. While one can only imagine the constant pressure that Barcelona's number ten faces, Messi seems unaffected by the surrounding paparazzi and fans. Whether on the pitch or off, he "prefer[s] to stay calm, and be with [his] own thoughts". He begins preparation for a match the day after the previous match, to ensure that he is ready when the first whistle blows. Another tactic practiced by Messi is to visualize what might happen in the game before it begins. Regardless of his preparation routine, however, when he feels the grass under his feet, he feels confident. Perhaps no quote sums it up better than this: "I don't feel any pressure- quite the contrary, because I always enjoy what I am doing, and that is playing football".
http://www.sport-english.com/en/news/barca/lionel-messi-opens-about-his-private-life-pressure-and-playing-instinctively-4009710
(http://the18.com/news/parents-banned-naming-their-children-messi-argentina)
Messi, for all his superstardom has some how managed his social media and private life very effectively. Only recently has he gone from being a superstar on the pitch to the face of many brands. While I do see the quality of keeping his private life private, he does have a responsibility as an athlete off the pitch too.
ReplyDeleteFans like to be able to relate to their favorite athletes. I personally enjoy hearing about the private lives of my favorite athletes because they are people to look up to. As a famous person, it is hard to keep their private lives completely private, so it is good that Messi is discussing his own private life before press reporters talk about it for him.
ReplyDelete-Hannah A
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ReplyDeleteI think it's great that a celebrity figure like Messi can open up about his personal life. It makes his fans view him in a different light, someone that they can relate to on a more personal level and not just as an athlete. - Daniel Dzhurayev
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that a celebrity figure like Messi can open up about his personal life. It makes his fans view him in a different light, someone that they can relate to on a more personal level and not just as an athlete. - Daniel Dzhurayev
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that a celebrity figure like Messi can open up about his personal life. It makes his fans view him in a different light, someone that they can relate to on a more personal level and not just as an athlete. - Daniel Dzhurayev
ReplyDeleteI always find it cool when athletes are open about their personal lives. It is very common to see stars, who are always under the spotlight, shy away from giving the public insight about their personal lives because they rarely have privacy. Having insight into Messi's personal life helps him be more relatable to his fans and fans of soccer. I think he balances his professional and personal life very well.
ReplyDeleteYou do not see it too often in modern day society where an athlete is able to manage all the temptations and pressures outside the game. He cares so much about the game that he will not let anything get in his way. By him also letting us into his personal life it shows he is human too. Sometimes he appears as a god like figure when he is just extremely good at what he does at the end of the day. I am not playing his incredible once in a lifetime talent down at all. I just think he is more human than some people seem to think.
ReplyDeleteReading the quote from Messi about his son being the most important thing in his life immediately makes me think about and draw connections to Ronaldo. Messi's quote is eerily similar to one that I have found here from Ronaldo: "My family comes first – my son is the most important thing in my life,” he says. “After that, it’s the football that matters most to me. Money comes after that." Even with the similarities between these two superstars and their values in life, it is amazing how the athletes different practices can impact the lives of their sons. Specifically, I did not even know that Messi had a son until I read this blog today. Thiago, while I'm sure is living a rather luxurious life, seems to have significantly more privacy than that of the son of Ronaldo. Due to Ronaldo's significantly more active social media presence, in comparison to Messi, I end up seeing Christiano Ronaldo Jr. about once a day, be it on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. While one is not necessarily a better practice than the other, I would certainly prefer to have the privacy that Thiago has, at least until I was old enough to decide how public I wanted my own life to be.
ReplyDeleteI love the quote Messi has about his son because at the end of the day he is just another human being who would do anything for his child. By giving that image it is another way for his fans to connect to him on a more personal level which would only deepen their respect for him. - Connor Butler
ReplyDeleteLionel Messi is one of the most calm footballers on the planet. Thios quality has led to his immense success on the pitch. If Messi ever turns the ball over, one hardly sees him put his head down and throw his arms in the air. He simply moves onto the next play. Messi is not afraid to fail whatsoever, and this combined with his confidence in his ability is what makes him an excellent player. I am sure this calm and confident charisma translates into his personal life to enable him to be the best father and husband he can be.
ReplyDelete-Colin Zaccagnio
Lionel Messi is one of the most calm footballers on the planet. Thios quality has led to his immense success on the pitch. If Messi ever turns the ball over, one hardly sees him put his head down and throw his arms in the air. He simply moves onto the next play. Messi is not afraid to fail whatsoever, and this combined with his confidence in his ability is what makes him an excellent player. I am sure this calm and confident charisma translates into his personal life to enable him to be the best father and husband he can be.
ReplyDelete-Colin Zaccagnio
Lionel Messi is a star athlete on and off the field. One of Messi's greatest qualities is his ability to remain composed. This is something that a lot of athletes struggle with because of the pressure of sponsors and fans. Messi mentioned that he does not feel any pressure. This proves how confident he is in his abilities.
ReplyDelete-Justin Conway
With the day to day coverage sports super-stars receive, it is vital for them to show fans they are more than an athlete on the field. I think one of the easiest ways to do this is by opening up your family to the media. I'm not implying Messi's public comments about his family are for show, but I will say that athletes, in general, seem to be aware of the positive attention kids can bring. I am more familiar with NBA, so I will use it as an example of players recent use of their kids fame: Steph Curry bringing his daughter to the press conference a second time after her first appearance went viral, Chris Paul bringing his son around so much that State Farm used him in a commercial, Derek Rose wearing a viral meme of his son on his hat, etc.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is a sucker for a cute kid and a close-knit family. There's nothing wrong with it, but athletes are smarter than we think and Messi is no exception.
It must be incredibly hard to be one of the most recognizable faces in sports today. The man most likely cannot go out in public without being mobbed. This probably makes it incredibly difficult to focus on the game, keep in shape, and keep personal life private. All in all, it probably is best for him to not speak about his personal life and have such media attention on him. This would probably add to the pressure and frankly I find it rather relieving not knowing everything he is doing as opposed to Christiano Ronaldo who loves to have the media spotlight on him. So in reality, I think this gives Messi an advantage as he does not get fixated on being a celebrity when the cameras are on him and instead focuses on the game and when the cameras are on him and he is speaking, he only talks about the game. This is why it is such a rare interview. As a sports fan and player, I do love this, but unfortunately a lot of people love the mellow-dramas of celebrities lives and thats sometimes why people will watch big players like Cristiano Ronaldo who constantly has new girlfriends.
ReplyDeleteIf you take a look at any other large name athletes across the world such as LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Alex Rodriguez, every single action they make is always viewed under a microscope. Their words, facial expressions, purchases, and comments are always over analyzed and depicted by the media for days. It is quite impressive how Lio Messi continues to perform excellently on the pitch and is evidently a class act off it. On the field you rarely see him flailing his arms, arguing with his teammates, or causing problems with referees, and off the field he obviously is a family man. To me, skills can only go so far and being a complete athlete includes being able to serve as a role model for younger fans who look up to you.
ReplyDelete