http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/zabaleta-messi-impressed-man-citys-8243956
Zabaleta: Messi impressed by Man City's new CFA
Pablo Zabaleta talks to MEN Sport about Manchester City's stunning new City Football Academy, Lionel Messi and his Blues journey.
Lionel Messi was “impressed” by the stunning new City training ground after training there with Argentina recently.
And his pal Pablo Zabaleta joked that he gave the little wizard a personal tour in the hope of bringing him to the Blues!
Messi trained at the new City Football Academy which officially opened today, ahead of Argentina’s recent Old Trafford friendly against Portugal.
Zabaleta was having a bit of fun with reporters, but he does believe that the new £200million facility, on the site of the old Clayton Aniline factory, WILL help bring in talent.
“For City to become a top club not just in England but also in the world, you need this – a good training ground, new facilities,” said Zabaleta, one of only three players who experienced the Carrington training ground, prior to its 2008 revamp.
“Top players always want to train at good facilities. If you have to sign players to improve our squad, they are probably going to be big players coming from top teams in Europe and they have to see that City is one of the top clubs in the world. Having these facilities just makes it special.
“Of course, they can be impressed or feel comfortable that they’re coming to a big club.
“They have everything here to be a good professional. You couldn’t ask for more. We have everything here, even down to recovery after the games. This is brilliant.”
He added that Messi had liked what he saw at the new CFA, just across the bridge from the Etihad Stadium.
“Obviously they also have a good training ground in Barcelona,” said Zabaleta. “He said ‘We have this machine at Barcelona, probably not that big or it’s a bit different’.
“Barcelona are also a big club and have great facilities. Messi has been there for a long time and even if he was impressed by this, it’s because we also went to Carrington to train.
“We had two sessions here and two there. It was a big difference between the two and that’s why we were talking about it.”
The new facility has everything on hand for the players – they even stay there, in rooms based on a four-star hotel, on the eve of matches.
Right outside the door is a lounge area, with coffee machine, games room, cinema and library, as well as massage room, while a steam room, sauna and gym are near by.
The Carrington facility was a big upgrade on the old Platt Lane ground, especially after Sheikh Mansour poured money into improving it.
But the new CFA elevates the training, production and development of players, from under-eights to first-team superstars, to a whole new level.
“After I’d been here for six months they did some work at Carrington to improve the gym, the physio’s room and even the dressing room,” said Zabaleta. “They changed some things from the old Carrington.
“I remember the gym was really big and it was freezing in there. After training you thought twice about going to the gym because it was really cold.
“It’s a completely different history but you must never forget where you’ve come from. Just because you’re here you can’t stop working hard.
“On the third floor we have individual rooms so normally we stay here the night before a game which is better than being in a hotel. It’s more private here, we don’t see people around and it’s more comfortable for the team.
“The facilities, the dressing-room, the spa, even the canteen is fantastic, everything you can imagine is there.
“As a player, you come here each day thinking ‘I’d rather be here than my house!’ I could spend eight or nine hours here.”
For the first time, City now have all of their teams on one site, and together with the community facilities, principally a leisure centre and sixth form college, it embodies their core philosophy of “street to stadium”.
As players progress through the age groups, and get closer to the first team, the facilities they use get closer to the stadium itself, a neat symbolism.
Zabaleta wholly agrees that the attention to detail, and thoroughness of consultation – everyone from Sergio Aguero to the parents of tiny kids in the academy were asked for their views – has brought a “no excuses” outlook.
“For the young lads to share the same building as the first team and have a chance to train together sometimes … it’s not just about good facilities,” said Zabaleta.
“For the young players it’s a great experience to do the same things we do every day. I wish I had been training in this facility when I was 18 years old.
“They can think ‘Look where we are – even if we aren’t very close to the first team, we still have years to get there’, and this is something they have to work on.”
