A former Barcelona team-mate has revealed that Lionel Messi “had to score all the time” during his years at Camp Nou, explaining that the Argentine was not happy when he went through a match without finding the net.
Speaking about Messi’s mentality in training and on matchdays, the ex-player said the forward’s mood was closely tied to goals, even when Barcelona were winning. The same team-mate insisted that Messi’s drive never dropped, and that he always wanted to be the key man in decisive moments.
The comments offer a clear look at the standards Messi set for himself at Barcelona, where he led the club through one of the most successful periods in its history. According to the former colleague, the pressure Messi placed on himself was constant, and scoring was the simplest sign that everything had gone right.
The revelation underlines just how demanding Messi was behind the scenes, with those around him seeing a player who measured his own performances in a different way to most stars. Even on nights when Barcelona controlled games, the ex-team-mate said Messi’s focus was on making a direct impact, and goals were central to that.
Messi left Barcelona in 2021, ending his long spell with the club, but the former team-mate’s remarks suggest his mindset never changed: he wanted to score, and if he did not, he was not satisfied.
