"I couldn't have imagined it was going to be like this"

When Leo Messi speaks, the footballing world always listens. The Argentine has spoken more in public in recent years and he spoke in an Adidas blog about the new normal in football. 

He confessed that he was surprised by how serious the coronavirus crisis has ended up being and admitted he was prepared for the matches to come. "I think nobody could have expected anything like this. There were people who said there could be global pandemics and that they could happen from time to time. But the truth is that I couldn't have imagined it being like it was, with the tremendous impact it is having practically all over the world. It's never easy living or working with so much uncertainty and much less so amid a different and exceptional situation like this. We all asked ourselves when we would return to work, when would train and play again."

The Argentine admitted that playing behind closed doors will be complicated. "There is talk of completing the La Liga season behind closed doors, which leads to a series of challenges. Our preparation as a group is the same as for any other match. But it's true that individually yout have to be prepared to play without fans because it's very strange. I had to do it for a home game and it was very strange. But it's normal that, if we return, it's in that manner after everything we've been through. With everything that's happening in the world, it's perfectly understandable."

Leo said that things will even out when football finally returns. "When we start playing again, it will be like starting all over again, We are going to have time to prepare before the competition starts and we are going to get back important players for us who were injured. Technically it will be the same season, but I think all the teams and players will feel it is different."

He also admitted that Barca are working a lot on keeping the morale high. "Now more than ever it's important to keep in contact as a team. From time to time, we all get together to speak and see each other. And, with many others, I speak everyday."

Messi also talked about the postponement of the Copa America. He said it was "sad, but normal and logical." "Delaying it was an enormous disappointment, but of course, it was normal and the most logical thing to do. It was going to be a great event for me this year and I was really excited to play in it again. It was tough when I found out it had been postponed, but I understood perfectly. We now have to think about the future," Messi concluded.