As part of Mindfulness Matters, the latest series from the adidas #hometeam campaign, Lionel Messi talks about the importance of mental strength, telling his story in his own words and explaining why it's better to look to the future when the going gets tough.
The #hometeam initiative is adidas’ collaboration-based response to keep hearts, minds and bodies healthy during these difficult days. It has already seen the ‘Collections’ series, showcasing the favourite jerseys and boots of some of the world’s best footballers, joined by ‘The Huddle’, which brings some of the biggest faces in sport and culture together in conversation every week. And the latest series to come from it is Mindfulness Matters, a series of short stories that sees athletes share their thoughts on overcoming tough times, with this latest episode featuring the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi.
In this fourth episode of Mindfulness Matters, Lionel Messi takes centre stage, revealing that his experience of the pandemic has been no different from that of millions of people around the world. With the Spanish League on hold and the Copa América – a competition the Argentinian was truly relishing – pushed back a year, he recognises that keeping your mind strong is more important now than ever.
Among other things, Messi reveals his thoughts on the effect of returning to competition this season with no fans in the stadium, saying it “brings about a whole set of challenges. The group preparation is the same as for any other game. But individually, each person needs to prepare and visualize playing without fans, because it is very strange.”
He concludes by saying “we can’t dwell on what we’re leaving behind this year. It’s better to look to the future. To getting back to the daily training routine, to seeing teammates, to playing the first games. I’m sure it will be strange at first, but I’m eager to start competing again.”
For more information on #hometeam, and how global communities are uniting to keep their hearts, bodies and minds healthy, visit adidas.com/hometeam.
