---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch…"
description: "\"Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch him, you feel there's a child inside him and he is making some childhood dream come true. He's a Great Player, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/eric-cantona-3882_childhood_messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-hi_1067738.jpg"
---

#  Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch him, you feel…

![“Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch him, you feel there's a child inside him and he is making some childhood dream come true. He's a Great Player, not only for today but also tomorrow.” quote by Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/eric-cantona-3882_childhood_messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-hi_1067738.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/eric-cantona-3882_childhood_messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-hi_1067738.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/eric-cantona-3882_childhood_messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-hi_1067738.jpg)

> “Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch him, you feel there's a child inside him and he is making some childhood dream come true. He's a Great Player, not only for today but also tomorrow.”

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Messi’s play evokes childlike wonder, turning dreams into reality and promising lasting greatness.

**In simple terms:** Messi inspires wonder and lasting greatness.

Key Takeaway

Celebrate youthful wonder in sport.

Themes

inspiration dreams legacy

Mood

admiring hopeful

Type

sports motivational

When to use this quote

- watching matches
- coaching youth
- marketing campaigns

Key Concepts

sports psychology role model future potential

Questions to Reflect On

- How does Messi maintain humility?
- What does his play teach about perseverance?

A Different Perspective

May fame eclipse skill over time.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Childhood dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-dreams/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams come true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-come-true/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/)

## Related quotes

> [Messi is an irreplaceable player, today if he was here we would have won 5-0 but he was not and we had to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/messi-is-an-irreplaceable-player-today-if-he-was-here-we-would-have/)

[Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/)

> [Messi is a great player. Playing against him is not good - it is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/messi-is-a-great-player-playing-against-him-is-not-good-it-is-bad/)

[Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/)

> [Even from when Lionel Messi was very young I could see that he was a great player. A lot of people spoke about him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronaldinho/even-from-when-lionel-messi-was-very-young-i-could-see-that-he-was-a/)

[Ronaldinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronaldinho/)

> [I played against Maradona and he was a great player like Messi too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-van-basten/i-played-against-maradona-and-he-was-a-great-player-like-messi-too/)

[Marco van Basten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-van-basten/)

> [Messi is the great player of this generation, like there were great players in other generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-patini/messi-is-the-great-player-of-this-generation-like-there-were-great/)

[Michel Patini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-patini/)

> [Messi, Neymar or Ronaldo? The three of them are exceptional, they have a lot of quality and they have their differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willian/messi-neymar-or-ronaldo-the-three-of-them-are-exceptional-they-have-a/)

[Willian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willian/)

> [Valencia gave me the opportunity to play in Primera Division and gave me the chance to be the player I am today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordi-alba/valencia-gave-me-the-opportunity-to-play-in-primera-division-and-gave/)

[Jordi Alba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordi-alba/)

> [I would love to be a player today. I had the right personality for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-jean-king/i-would-love-to-be-a-player-today-i-had-the-right-personality-for-it/)

[Billie Jean King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-jean-king/)

> [I think a lot of personnel decisions come down to who's the best player today, like if we had to throw 'em in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nurse/i-think-a-lot-of-personnel-decisions-come-down-to-who-s-the-best/)

[Nick Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nurse/)

> [I played Futebol de Salão for many years and it helped me to become the player I am today. There you don't have time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinho/i-played-futebol-de-sal-o-for-many-years-and-it-helped-me-to-become/)

[Robinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinho/)

> [It's about being a better player today than you were yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-lowry/it-s-about-being-a-better-player-today-than-you-were-yesterday/)

[Kyle Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-lowry/)

> [It seems the baseball player of today will not be satisfied until he plays two weeks in the big league and is able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/it-seems-the-baseball-player-of-today-will-not-be-satisfied-until-he/)

[Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/)

> [Under Wenger I became the player that I am today because he's the guy that signed me at 16. I owe him a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-bellerin/under-wenger-i-became-the-player-that-i-am-today-because-he-s-the-guy/)

[Hector Bellerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-bellerin/)

> [I put my work in throughout my career to become the player I am today. It's never about the money. I want to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/i-put-my-work-in-throughout-my-career-to-become-the-player-i-am-today/)

[Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/)

> [It's a never-ending struggle, which is great. You can always get better! You can never get there. It's a journey with no arrival. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/it-s-a-never-ending-struggle-which-is-great-you-can-always-get-better/)

[Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/)

## More by Eric Cantona

> [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [A good goal is one that is important and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/a-good-goal-is-one-that-is-important-and-beautiful/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I didn't study; I live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-didn-t-study-i-live/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [Every experience makes you a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/every-experience-makes-you-a-man/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I don't know where my medals are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-don-t-know-where-my-medals-are/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [Whatever happens, there are always things you could have done better. You score two goals and you usually feel you could have done better.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/whatever-happens-there-are-always-things-you-could-have-done-better/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [Great businessmen are creators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/great-businessmen-are-creators/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I observe the world and the people surrounding me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-observe-the-world-and-the-people-surrounding-me/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [We can be eaten by techniques and forget what we have inside of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/we-can-be-eaten-by-techniques-and-forget-what-we-have-inside-of-us/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I want to look forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-want-to-look-forward/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I don't think the world of football is so serious. It's important to have distance about things and about yourself. If we believe we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-don-t-think-the-world-of-football-is-so-serious-it-s-important-to/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I was always being creative. I could never have played a defensive role because I would have been forced to destroy the other player's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-was-always-being-creative-i-could-never-have-played-a-defensive/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I didn't want really to be involved in a normal soccer club.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-didn-t-want-really-to-be-involved-in-a-normal-soccer-club/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I know that I have a face, a look, people aren't used to seeing. A presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-know-that-i-have-a-face-a-look-people-aren-t-used-to-seeing-a/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [I'm proud of what I achieved there, but a life built on memories is not much of a life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-m-proud-of-what-i-achieved-there-but-a-life-built-on-memories-is/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

[Explore all 120 Eric Cantona quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

## More Childhood quotes

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/)

[Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/)

> [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/)

[Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/)

> [When I talk about my childhood I used to say it as if it was scripted and I'd make jokes because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/when-i-talk-about-my-childhood-i-used-to-say-it-as-if-it-was-scripted/)

[Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/)

> [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/)

[Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/)

> [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/)

[Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. I keep all of my awards down there, and childhood photos, and even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/downstairs-in-my-house-i-have-a-museum-room-i-keep-all-of-my-awards/)

[R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/)

> [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/on-paper-it-looks-rough-but-i-had-a-great-childhood/)

[Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/)

> [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/)

[Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/)

> [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/)

[Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/)

[Browse all 5,837 Childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch him, you feel there's a child inside him and he is making some childhood dream come true. He's a Great Player, not only for today but also tomorrow.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eric Cantona"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-him-you-feel-there-s-a-child/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Childhood"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-him-you-feel-there-s-a-child/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/eric-cantona-3882_childhood_messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-hi_1067738.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/eric-cantona-3882_childhood_messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-hi_1067738.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/eric-cantona-3882_childhood_messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-hi_1067738.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch him, you feel there's a child inside him and he is making some…” — Eric Cantona",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Eric Cantona",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Messi, he's exceptional. When you watch...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-him-you-feel-there-s-a-child/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/messi-he-s-exceptional-when-you-watch-him-you-feel-there-s-a-child/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
