Leandro PAREDES says he found the World Cup Qualifiers a difficult process while commenting on Lionel MESSI, the World Cup and more.

One of Zenit St. Petersburg’s star players Leandro PAREDES was interviewed by FIFA.com where he gave his thoughts on several topics. Being one of four Zenit players called-up to the Argentina National Team, here’s what PAREDES had to say:

Leandro PAREDES on Zenit players in Argentina team:

“It’s a source of pride for us. The fact we got these call-ups mean we’re doing something right. We’re all fairly young and understand we can still develop. We’d like to think that Zenit players will be representing Argentina regularly in the future.”

On the World Cup Qualifiers:

“We found it tough in qualifying. Our spot at the World Cup was in question right until the final match. Thank God, we managed to hold on for an incredibly important victory in that fixture; it made things a lot easier for everyone. I felt calm during the game. I tried not to panic and play as well as I could.

“You have to give your all in every training session with Sampaoli, as if you’re stepping out onto the pitch for the final time”.

Leandro PAREDES on Lionel MESSI:

“Of course, everyone only talks about MESSI. I should think this would be the case, as he’s the best player in the world! It’s a huge bonus for Argentina that he plays for us. We understand this perfectly well and we appreciate it.

“How is MESSI better than Ronaldo? They are both spectacular players, but in my opinion Leo is better. They have different physical capabilities. Thanks to MESSI’s size and technical ability, he’s able to deal with situations that Cristiano would find difficult. When Leo is surrounded by four or five markers, he’ll probably find a way out without losing the ball.”

About the questions he receives about Russia:

“They ask us how we’re finding things here and how we’ve settled in. It goes without saying that most of the questions are about the weather and if it’s cold. We’re the only guys in the national team who play so far to the north. We don’t speak about the World Cup just yet; there’s still too long to go until it starts.

“The Luzhniki is an amazing stadium. It’s looking modern and beautiful after its reconstruction, but I believe our stadium in Saint Petersburg is as good. I’m sure the World Cup in Russia will be wonderful and our home ground will be one of the showpiece arenas.”