Relaxed Lionel Messi determined to savor ‘likely’ final World Cup
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is confident of his place in Brazil 2014… as he continues to play through injuries.
The 35-year-old, who was forced to play through a shoulder injury for Barcelona’s past two games — a 2-2 draw against Athletic Bilbao and a 1-0 loss at Valencia — says he will be ready to play at the World Cup despite the complications of an operation later this month.
“I’m sure the operation will go fine,” he told a Spanish TV channel as Madrid prepare to play Manchester United at the Nou Camp in the first leg of their quarter-final.
“We’ll see. There is always a risk of [an operation] breaking bones, and then you have to take care of your whole body. But they have given me an operation and I won’t be playing until the end of July. And that’s all that can be said!”
Messi has played through a series of injuries since Barcelona beat Malmo 5-0 in the Champions League, beating Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final while leading Barca through a season filled with ups and downs.
Lionel Messi was forced to miss the rest of the Champions League final due to injury.
In March, he was forced to sit out Barca’s Champions League final as he was unable to fully lift a right knee.
“In the end, it’s always about the club’s decision,” Messi said of Barcelona’s medical staff.
“They have to weigh up everything and decide if it suits them to play or not. I’m sure everything will go well for them too.”
Despite his injury problems, Messi played through the first leg of the Champions League final by taking the field for the first time in the week when he fielded as a late substitute at the Etihad Stadium to take on Arsenal.
“There is a big difference between me playing regularly and not playing, of course.
“It’s not easy for me to come back now after [a] year or five months, but I’m
