There can be no question that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest ever footballers to grace the beautiful game. The Argentine has dominated wherever he has been in the most elegant of manners. Whether it be La Liga, Ligue 1, the MLS or in international competitions, the 37-year-old has proven to be the best almost everywhere imaginable. Except the Premier League.
The Barcelona legend has never stepped foot in the English top flight, much to the disappointment of fans. However, an extract from Pep Guardiola’s book has revealed just how close we came to seeing the ‘Messiah’ put on the famous Sky Blue jersey of Manchester City.
Messi’s Meeting With Guardiola in 2020
Messi was left angry after Barcelona’s 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich
According to the account written in Guardiola’s autobiography, via the Daily Mail, the Spaniard was reeling after City’s shock Champions League exit at the hands of French giants Lyon in 2020. Talk of a potential reunion with his former protege started when Messi’s good friend, Sergio Aguero, informed the rest of his teammates that the Argentine had been asking about how long was left on Guardiola’s City contract. Shortly after that, the man himself reached out to his former coach and a meeting was arranged.
The pair had already met years prior to discuss a potential move, but according to the extract, it was clear that Messi was less than enthused by the prospect, something which Guardiola had picked up on. This time around, though, the diminutive wizard found himself in a Barcelona team that was fragmented and beginning to show the aches and pains of the financial trouble they found themselves in. This time, he was the one pushing for the move.
The duo met at Guardiola’s Barcelona residence and spoke at length about a possible transfer, six and a half hours to be exact. The manager confirmed to senior figures at the club that if Messi signed, so would he for even more years. As for the player, his desire to still be the best was pushing him closer and closer to City’s grasp, and no amount of bad weather or long tactical talks from the man who first shaped his career was going to deter him.
Why Messi Never Joined City
The deal fell through as Messi agreed to stay at the Nou Camp
With such a positive meeting under their belts, it would be fair to assume that Messi’s future now lay in the North West of England. Guardiola certainly thought so, as he had begun writing plans for how the structure of the team would look with Messi in it.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Despite the fact Messi didn’t report back for Covid testing when initially required, the forward ultimately reached an agreement with Barcelona to stay at the club for one more year, ultimately shattering any chance of linking up with Guardiola one more time. That would end up being Messi’s final season at the club, as he would leave to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in 2021.