Messi: I don't compete with Cristiano

FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi said on Thursday that his team still has lots of room for improvement after a 3-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the most recent Champions League encounter.

The Argentine stressed that his personal goal is not to compete with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, nor to grab soccer's most coveted individual award, the Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo, a Portuguese international, won the award last year, halting Messi's streak of consecutive Ballon d'Or trophies at four.

"I do not compete with Cristiano, I play and do my job and I don't care about any competition with him. I only want to win team championships. Individual awards are the least important to me," Messi said during the presentation of a sponsorship deal for Barcelona in Latin America.

He said the squad is on the right track under new coach Luis Enrique and that it will continue improving "when we do everything the manager asks for."

Asked about a possible fifth Ballon d'Or, Messi said: "I don't think about my place in soccer history, I just want to keep getting better and win trophies with my team."

He said Enrique gives him more freedom on the field and that his new role as playmaker stems from the presence of great forwards who play much closer to the rival goal.

"Our style became different, he did not ask me to do anything different personally, I now have more freedom of movement, I don't have to be close to the penalty area and can pass more often to the center," Messi said.

As for Brazilian striker Neymar, he observed: "This year we play more games together and we look out for each other more, our understanding grows over time, he's a great guy, and I enjoy playing alongside him, he has the power to be where he wants to be."

And, when asked what it's like to be close to breaking the La Liga scoring record, held by the legendary Telmo Zarra with 251 goals, Messi - with 248 goals to his credit - said his aim is to "keep growing and claim more titles" for Barça.

The Argentine said he will be happy to play for his national side on an upcoming Asian tour and that it was only fatigue that kept him from joining Argentina on the most recent occasion.

He made it clear that Enrique has never expected any Barcelona player to shirk his international obligations. EFE