"I wouldn't like to be like Messi"

Ezequiel Lavezzi made a surprising remark in an interview with MARCA Plus, stating that he would not want to be in Lionel Messi's place.

"Life isn't easy when everyone recognises you all the time. No, I wouldn't like to be like him. I prefer to keep myself in the shadows", said Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian international.

Despite that, the winger was full of praise for his compatriot. "When I played with him as a kid I could see his potential. I don't see him as the best in the world, but rather as another friend".

The PSG player, who arrived back late from his Christmas break, and who in recent months has been mooted as one of the possible departures from the French club, admitted that he has considered the idea of retiring a number of times. "Sometimes I wonder about giving it all up and retiring from football. It's an idea that crosses my mind even now, not just in the past".

"Once I give up football, I won't do anything else in the world of sport. Right now I don't know what I'm going to do. The best thing that football gave me was the chance to live well, experience new cultures, have time with my family when possible and enjoy all of that. The worst aspect is that everything is driven by people's own interests", he said.

Source - Marca