Messi says in an interview that the rivalry with Ronaldo is very healthy and he defends his striker partner Suarez who is under critics recently for his poor performance.

“He’s a special player. The whole league misses him, including me. The healthy rivalry between Cristiano and I is something that you rarely see. ” Messi talks to Fox Argentina.

“There is no battle but a healthy one. Cristiano is a great player and of course, he motivates me to be even better.”

Meanwhile, the Golden Shoe winner also talks about his good friend Suarez. He said: “Everyone attacks Suarez for his knee surgery, but it was necessary. He didn’t miss the final by choice. He tore his meniscus vs Liverpool.”

Messi reveals he still has a Whatsapp group with Neymar and Suarez, the former now links tightly with Barca again.

“Neymar is a phenomenon and yes, we continue to talk. The name of the group has something to do with South America … ‘The Three Sudacas’ or something like that.” he told Fox Sports Argentina.

The Argentine speaks about his future.

“I don’t know. Perhaps one day I will play in the Argentinian league.”

“My dream as a child was to play for Newells in their stadium”

“The day I stop enjoying football is the day I will end my career”

When it comes to his former coach Guardiola, Messi says: “Pep? He prepares for each game in different style & tells you exactly how he thinks it will be played out. He taught me a lot of stuff & about tactics. We did exactly how he wanted and ran just like he wanted. Everyone saw how we played.”

“I miss Xavi and Iniesta. On the pitch obviously, but off the pitch as well. We are friends”