MADRID – Lionel Messi has said being remembered as “a good guy” is more important to him than scoring goals or breaking records.Messi, 25, believes the team is always more important than an individual, telling Spanish newspaper El Pais that earning the respect of team-mates was the best outcome that could be achieved on the pitch.“I prefer to win titles than individual prizes or scoring goals,” the Argentina international said. “I am more concerned about being a good person than the best player in the world.“I hope that when I retire, people remember me as a good guy. I like to be friends with the people I play with. It is nice when they value you as a person, not just for scoring many goals.”Messi said media speculation about individual prizes such as this year’s Ballon d’Or was unimportant because football is a team game.“Journalists are always asking if this player is better than that one,” he said. “Xavi [Hernandez] or [Andres] Iniesta? Who can say?“I am lucky to have landed here at Barca and play with such great players. They have given me everything - the prizes, the goals, everything. Without the help of your team-mates, you would be nothing, win nothing.”Although Barcelona faced Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday, the week’s main focus is Sunday’s first La Liga Clasico of the season at Camp Nou.Messi said he and his team-mates would need to be wary of Real Madrid’s counter-attacking game, explaining: “Madrid, on the counter, they kill you. They have fast attackers, and go from defence to attack in five seconds and score. They do not have to play well to score three times.
