LIONEL MESSI HAS vowed to stay at the club and play through the disappointment of Barcelona’s second-straight dramatic Champions League exit ahead of this weekend’s Copa del Rey final.
Leading the semi-final tie 3-0 from the first leg in the Camp Nou, the La Liga champions were odds-on favourites to progress to next month’s final in Madrid – only for Liverpool to complete a remarkable comeback and win the game 4-0.
It was the second straight season Barca crumbled from a three-goal advantage in the Champions League, having stumbled to Roma last term in the quarter-final stage.
The painful aggregate defeat meant Ernesto Valverde’s men have had to settle for domestic success this season, which they’ll hope to add to in Seville when they face Valencia on Saturday night.
Seeking a second straight domestic double, Messi insisted that his appetite for success has not altered despite Barca’s spectacular semi-final collapse against Liverpool earlier this month.
“I still want to be here, beyond the disappointment,” Messi said ahead of the Estadio Benito Villamarin clash.
“I also had them (disappointments) with the Argentine national team and I keep trying. The fact that we have had disappointments does not change anything.”
“They are two different things. Losing a World Cup final (against Germany in 2014) is the most important of all, and is a big disappointment.
“But going 3-0 up and it turning around are two totally different things. It’s a very great disappointment in both – both in the World Cup and now.”
One element of the season that has lifted the 31-year-old’s spirits has been wearing the captain’s armband for Barcelona.
And the club’s all-time leading goalscorer claimed that if the Liverpool debacle is removed from the equation, the Spanish champions have enjoyed another successful campaign.
Messi added: “Wearing the armband? It was a spectacular year for me where we won La Liga, we’re in the cup final, and we could lift three titles.
“Taking away the game that spoiled it all, I think we had a great year.”
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Great article. I’m sure some of the unions will snap him up
The IRFU should be hiring him, we’re badly in need of a top level ref.
@Jim Demps: Absolutely Jim some of the refs in the PRO14 over the last few years have been poor enough.
Doyle is certainly better than most of them imo.
@TL55: Since John Lacey stepped away we have been crying out for a top referee. Frank Murphy and Andrew Brace have a good bit to go to be considered top quality refs. I’m not a fan of George Clancy either but I thought he did a top notch job in the Leinster v Ulster game.
To think ben whitehouse is still reffing international games and pro 14 games
So much of good refereeing is in the communication to the players-in almost all sports and Doyle was good in that regard. I remember him reffing a Japan and Ireland senior game couple of years back which I couldn’t believe at the time but he didn’t do anything untoward and hopefully for him he’ll be back into the swing of things somewhere asap
@Baz: Alain Rolland regularly reffed France because he was registered as an Irish ref, there was also a Nordie ref registered as Scottish though he never popped up as a ref at men’s international level. The Scottish union could do a lot worse than hiring Doyle as they haven’t had an international level men’s XVs ref for yonks. Their best ref works the 7s series and some of the women’s tournaments, I think I’ve only seen him do maybe one pro14 game.
He’s a sound man, JP.
Hopefully he can stay in Rugby fulltime.
But what actually is a Gowl ?
@Daragh Curtis: An old wooden ship from the American civil war era.
@Cian Nolan: perhaps, but I don’t think this was what POM was referring to.
It’s a word for the female genitalia, interestingly enough (from yesterday’s Irish Times) from the Irish word gabhal meaning crotch. Gabhal mná apparently is the full version.
@Daragh Curtis: Robb Stark is one. You’re welcome
@Decko49: nailed it!
@Daragh Curtis: A gowl is essentially what the “C-word” is everywhere else.