New details have emerged about Arsenal’s failed bid to sign superstar Lionel Messi.
There is no doubt that Lionel Messi is the greatest legend in Barcelona club history with all the noble titles he has achieved at the Nou Camp.
But things could have been very different if Arsenal had succeeded in their efforts to bring Messi to England to play before the Argentine made his debut for Barca’s first team.
Messi is considered the greatest player in Barca history.
Back in 2003, the Gunners were working to bring in Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona and were also eyeing other youth team players from the Catalan giants.
`The first time I saw Messi was in Lloret de Mar, at the MIC tournament, when he was only 15 years old. Messi at that time was already a phenomenon. His situation was not well controlled and could not be licensed.
`He had several meetings with Horacio Gaggioli, his agent at the time, but it was not possible. In the end, we signed Cesc Fábregas from the great Barca academy team
Next, Cagigao also honored the contributions of former Gunners coach – Arsene Wenger.
`There was an Arsenal before Wenger and another Arsenal after him. The current Arsenal cannot be understood without his presence there for many years. That’s why he has a statue in the stadium
“I think Wenger revolutionized English football when he arrived and he is the most successful coach in the club’s history, winning three leagues, eight cups, reaching the Champions League final…
The inability to get a work permit for Messi ultimately ended Arsenal’s hopes of bringing Messi to England.
`We discussed with [Messi] when we bought Fabregas, because Messi was close with him. Sometimes you can realize that the strongest young team in history was Barcelona that year.`
`In the same young team of Messi, Pique and Fabregas, Pique and Fabregas went to England, Messi stayed in Spain. We were interested in him, but Messi was untouchable at that time.`
Arsenal missed out on signing Messi in the past.
Just over a year after Arsenal tried to sign Messi, the 1987-born player was introduced to the first team at Barcelona and the rest is history.
Messi finally left Camp Nou in the summer of 2021 to join PSG on a free transfer.
Lionel Messi ‘misses’ two players at PSG
Messi’s future at PSG is officially over