Messi wants Barca to complete treble with Champions League victory

Updated on: 19 May,2009 08:09 AM IST |
PA Sport |

Not satisfied with winning La Liga and the Spanish Cup, Lionel Messi now wants the elusive treble

Not satisfied with winning La Liga and the Spanish Cup, Lionel Messi now wants the elusive treble

The Catalan club last Wednesday clinched the cup with a stunning 4-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Mestalla, and were crowned La Liga champions at the weekend when Real Madrid lost to Villarreal.

Next up is the Champions League final against Manchester United on May 27, and Messi has set his sights on the treble.

He told the Clarin newspaper: "I don't mean what we have achieved so far is not a big achievement.

This team is focused on clinching the goal we had set in the beginning of the season, when more than one person thought we were too ambitious.

"You can search in the archive and you'll see that, since Guardiola's arrival, we have said we want the Copa, La Liga and the Champions League.

Guardiola is a great coach who changed important things. In the match against Real Madrid, he played me as a main forward but a little bit behind. I was truly surprised.
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I thought I was not going to touch the ball, but I played in great form and we claimed a historic 6-2 win."

Ron vs Leo

The final will also see 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo do battle with Messi the player he pipped to that title.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player. His long-distance shots are terrific," he said.

"I am not his friend because I don't see him too much, but I am sure he has the same thought I have. None of us play to be the best of the world.
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This is a team game. I want the treble and I don't deny it. I'd love it because it was the goal we set in the beginning of the season," heu00a0 added.

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