In a newspaper article The ParisianGuillem Balague the biographer of Lionel Messi recounted the day the Argentine star almost signed for Barcelona vs Real Madrid, free, online, without ads, Spanish Super Cup | Spanish League”>Real Madrid. The biographer explains that Messi could have signed several times with the Madrid club, especially when Jorge Valdano was the club’s sporting director (2000-2009). It recounts in particular an episode which took place in the autumn of 2001, when the general manager of Barça Javier Perez Farguell wanted to modify the first contract of The flea deeming the deal as too financially excessive for the club.
“Who does he think he is? Maradona? Let’s stop this now and he can go back to Argentina.” said one of Madrid’s leaders at the time. Several meetings had taken place with the family of the player who was then 14 years old, but no agreement seemed possible. Valdano then entered the race and offered to pay more and welcome the player if he left Barcelona on his own. But in the end Barça and Messi’s family managed to reach an agreement and the Argentinian was able to make the career that we know of him with the Blaugranas shirt.
