APPIANO GENTILE – "Messi and I are friends. He's a simple and humble lad and I've always got on well with him. We send each other text messages all the time," revealed Thiago Motta during his interview on Inter Channel's Prima Serata programme.
The Nerazzurri midfielder then said something that is bound to excite the fans: "I think that if he were to leave Barcelona, the first team he would move to is Inter. He's still young and sooner or later the time will come for him to change too."
Motta went on to talk about his time at Barcelona: "When I joined the club my idol was Rivaldo. In Brazil I always used to wear his shirt. Then under Van Gaal I realised that my position was the same as Phillip Cocu's. I was lucky enough to play alongside him for 2 or 3 years and I learnt loads. From the moment I arrived at Barcelona I was taught never to throw away possession but to risk a bit more and try to play the ball."
So where does Motta prefer to play in midfield? "I'm comfortable in any role," he replied, "but if I had to choose I really enjoy playing as one of two in front of the defence because I'm always facing the opposition, never with my back to them. I've always like that system. When we played like that under Mourinho we did really well. But I'm prepared to play in any position and any playing system."
