Lineker: Arsenal a 'surprise' and 'a dream' for Messi to re-join Barca

He offered his view on the profession, but honed in on the situation of Barca, dreaming of seeing Lionel Messi coached by Xavi Hernandez.

Closer to home, Lineker also spoke about the Premier League title race and how Arsenal are shaping up this term.

"Arsenal are a team that surprises me this year," Lineker said. "Arteta is doing a good job, his team is playing well there are young people emerging, a bit like Barca. I don't know if Arsenal will become champions because Man City will come back strong."

Given the venue - in Barcelona - Lineker did spend much of his time talking about his former club, Barca; the current state of affairs and enecdotes from the past.

In front of all the leaders of the club, ​​including Joan Laporta, Lineker received the 15th Manuel Vázquez Montalbán International Journalism Prize in the sports journalism category. 

After apologising for his Spanish accent - jovially stating "it's been 33 years since I left Barca - how time flies!" - Lineker said he felt "very proud to receive such an award because I have a lot of respect for all my predecessors."

Cruyff & texts from Mourinho

In the Auditori 1899, which adjoins the Camp Nou, he addressed several subjects ​​​​starting with his passage through Catalonia. “My last year with Johan Cruyff was a bit difficult because I was playing on one side, I had to do my best for the team. I did it but I didn't like it, what I wanted was to score goals and in that position it's not easy. But for me, Cruyff was a great person and maybe the best ever in the game."

He then returned to his trajectory in the world of media, his retraining is often cited as an example: "I like to talk about football, the sport, but it didn't get off to the best start. We had to work, work, work. That said, we must not forget that there is more important things than football and that is why we must know how to add a little humour to it."

"It's more the coaches than the players who can complain. They have so much pressure on their shoulders, they are more nervous. Jose Mourinho did not speak to me, but I never found out why. He was texting me a lot, all the time, much like my ex-wife!"

Pedri

As La Liga commentator for Great Britain and Ireland, Lineker has seen "almost all of Barca's matches" this season, except that of Sunday, when he was stuck at an airport. "We are still early in the season, but I see things going in the right direction," he said. "There are very good young people and the future looks pretty good. I love Pedri, he has everything going for him. He works a lot, he is very skilful. I predict a great future for him, in this club as with his country. The team is improving little by little. It's a shame to have had so many problems in the Champions League, but maybe after the World Cup, with a lot of tired players, not playing in the Champions League could turn into an advantage to win La Liga."

Lineker spoke about the role of Ousmane Dembele, who was brilliant on Sunday evening: "Dembele has great abilities, he is very fast, very dangerous. He has to play all the matches in the same way. The truth is that he He improved little by little with Xavi, he doesn't have all those injuries anymore. He has to play every game like the one against Athletic."

'A dream to see Messi coached by Xavi'

While Xavi received criticism after the near-elimination in the Champions League and the defeat in El Clasico, Lineker gave his support to the Blaugrana boss: "Xavi is, for me, a coach who does a very good job. He does not must not forget that when he arrived the club had many economic problems with several players. Now the team is well ranked in the league, not so far from Real Madrid. There are always criticisms because many believe that it's easy to be a coach. He has a good team, which is progressing. Barca have spent a lot of money and there are expectations. Xavi has experienced turbulence like all coaches have." 

Above all, Lineker revealed his wish: "It's a dream to see Leo Messi coached by Xavi. I believe this season will be his last with Paris Saint-Germain. Then, a lot of people think he will go to the United States. But maybe he'll come back to Barcelona for a year, maybe he'll come back to play for nothing. Who knows? I'd love it. The way he left was ugly and very sad. I don't don't know if it's possible or not, but I would like it a lot because I'm a big fan of Messi."