Valverde has replaced Luis Enrique as head coach at Camp Nou, with Barca’s pre-season campaign set to get under way next week’s against Juventus in New Jersey.
Messi, who has turned 30, married long-term partner Antonella Roccuzzo and agreed to sign a new contract since the end of last season, hopes the impressive reputation of the former Athletic Bilbao boss will prove to be true as his attention moves to 2017-18.
“With the new manager everything will be new,” Messi said in Tokyo at a commercial event for new sponsors Rakuten.
“I don’t know what kind of manager he is, but he is a great person.
“He was with Valencia and Bilbao, we are hearing a lot about his very good reputation, so we are pinning our hopes on this new beginning.
“Whenever I start a new season there is a very clear-cut goal, which is that Barcelona will do our best.
“Personally I am very happy and looking forward to starting a new season. We have new coaches and assistants. I would like to work with them and enjoy Barcelona for another year.”
Neymar was also at the event, along with Gerard Pique and Arda Turan, the Brazil international batting away a question about whether he would score more goals than Messi in 2017-18.
“The objective is always to win and to work together to do that, whether or not I score a goal, because we are a team,” he said.
“If I can score goals of course I will be happy, but if Pique, Messi and all the other players score, that is just as good. If we can win as a team I would be so happy.”
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