More than twenty years ago, on November 16, 2003, Lionel Messi played his very first match with the FC Barcelona first team. The first of a long love story with the Catalan club, with which he is still identified today, more than three years after a brutal divorce.
And for good reason, he achieved his greatest exploits there, racking up titles (10 Liga, 7 Spanish Cups, 4 Champions League…) and breaking a multitude of records. From his first hat-trick scored against Real in 2007, in the fever of the Camp Nou, on a Clasico evening that would have escaped Barça without his divine intervention, to his last hours of glory in the Catalan jersey, Lionel Messi often disgusted Real Madrid.
Arsenal have also shown interest
Florentino Perez’s club was able to count on Cristiano Ronaldo to try to challenge the supremacy of Guardiola’s Barça and his successors, but the White House has long dreamed of making its own the man who has become one of the best players in history.
“Real Madrid were interested when Messi was young, when he was 16-17, but Leo never wanted to leave Barcelona. Arsenal showed interest in Messi when he was starting out, but the response was the same,” revealed La Pulga’s former agent, Horacio Gaggioli, in an interview with Koora. Fabio Capello also tried it, when he was coaching Juve. The Italian coach tried to negotiate a possible loan, but it was already too late.
Having arrived in Catalonia at the age of 12 with the help and support of Charly Rexach, a former Barça player and coach, who played a key role in his installation in Barcelona, Lionel Messi was already closely linked to his club, which would soon integrate him into the first team’s locker room. Frank Rijkaard had already reserved a special place to facilitate his integration and development. The rest, everyone knows.
- RMC Sport
