Lionel Messi pleaded with Pep Guardiola to sign him for Manchester City in the summer of 2020, according to leaked messages published in a book documenting Guardiola’s time in charge of the Premier League club. An exchange allegedly shows Messi opening up on a split with the Barcelona board and asking if he can move to Manchester.
Messi was enduring a tough season with Barca, who were beginning to feel the strain of financial issues. At the time, the Argentine still had a year remaining on his contract but the La Liga giants were protected by a £649million (€750m) release clause.
Barca were humiliated in the Champions League, which had been rescheduled as a knockout event in Lisbon in August due to the pandemic. Messi and co. fell to a 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich and endured an underwhelming domestic campaign, finishing five points behind champions Real Madrid.
Guardiola was reportedly returning from Lisbon, where City had also suffered a dismal European defeat against Lyon, when he received a message from striker Sergio Aguero. “Watch out, two things can happen. Leo asked me how long he has Pep contract with City,” Aguero’s message is claimed to have read.
According to journalist Martí Perarnau in his book God Save Pep, Guardiola then received a message from Messi. The legendary forward had, it is claimed, “made the decision” and asked the Spaniard if they could reunite at City.
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The book suggests that Guardiola invited Messi to his Barcelona home the next day. The forward made clear his desire to “break” from the Spanish giants and conveyed his desire to play under former Barca boss Guardiola again.
Amusingly, Guardiola is alleged to have replied: “It rains a lot in Manchester.”
It is claimed that Guardiola told City that he was willing to extend his contract if they completed the signing of Messi. Although some extracts of the conversation appear to suggest that he was sceptical about the potential transfer.
“In Manchester we train very hard…” Guardiola said. To which Messi responded: “I will train hard, I’m not worried.”
But Guardiola insisted: “And I continued making long tactical talks. Maybe you’ll get bored…”
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“I’ll hold on. I will put up with everything you do,” Messi pleaded.
“Leo, we have grown older,” Guardiola continued. “Maybe we can’t stand each other anymore.”
Guardiola has previously insisted that he has never tried to sign Messi for either City or former club Bayern Munich. In 2020, Messi ultimately remained at Barca but was unable to extend his contract due to financial restrictions imposed on the club.
The 36-year-old moved to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021, with City and Guardiola passing up the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer. He now plays for David Beckham’s MLS franchise Inter Miami.
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