Meaning

This statement separates the act of playing from its financial rewards and in doing so places love of the game at the center of Messi's motivation. He is not dismissing money as irrelevant to life, but he is saying it does not drive him when he steps onto the pitch. Motivation rooted in genuine passion is generally more durable than motivation rooted in external reward, and this remark implies that what has sustained Messi across decades of elite competition is something simpler and more personal than wealth or status.

Context

Messi has spoken about his relationship to football in these terms across many interviews over the years, often when questions arose about contracts, transfers, or comparisons of earnings between top players. The sentiment is consistent with the picture his teammates and coaches have drawn of him: someone who lights up during training, who plays with the enthusiasm of a child, and who appears most himself when the ball is at his feet regardless of the occasion or the stakes. It is a theme he has returned to throughout his career.

About the author

Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer broadly considered among the greatest to have ever played the sport. Born in Rosario, Argentina, he moved to Spain as a boy to join FC Barcelona's youth academy and went on to spend the bulk of his career there before later playing in France and the United States. He has won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina, numerous domestic league titles, and more Ballon d'Or awards than any other player in history. He is widely admired not only for his on-field genius but for the understated, grounded manner in which he has conducted himself throughout a career of extraordinary public scrutiny.