Lionel Messi moved from Argentina to Spain at age 13 after FC Barcelona agreed to cover his medical treatments for a growth hormone deficiency.
He joined Barcelona's renowned youth academy, La Masia, and
made his first-team debut in 2004. Over his 17-year career with Barcelona, Messi became the club's all-time top scorer with 672 goals.
He helped the team win an astonishing 10 La Liga titles, 7 Copa del Rey trophies, 4 UEFA Champions League titles, 7 Supercopa de EspaÑa, 3 UEFA Super Cups, and 3 FIFA Club World Cups. Messi set numerous records, including the most goals in La Liga (474) and the most official assists in football history (401).
But it could have been much bigger for Spain, as Messi, way early in his budding career, was being seriously considered by the Spanish management to represent Spain at international level.
In a stunning revelation, Jose Pekerman, former Argentina U20 and senior national team coach, disclosed how he engineered a plan to prevent Lionel Messi from playing for Spain. Despite Messi having all the paperwork ready to represent Spain in the U20 World Cup in 2004, Pekerman acted quickly to ensure Messi's allegiance stayed with Argentina.
"The papers were already in place for him to play in the U20 World Cup for Spain. We had to hurry," Pekerman said at an event.
He arranged a friendly match against Paraguay on June 29, 2004, where Messi played his first official game for Argentina's U20 team.
"He just had to play a friendly, sign the form and send it to FIFA. And that's it, Spain never again," Pekerman said.
The Argentine coach further explained the urgency: "In Spain, we had background on Leo Messi from an Under-17 tournament. They said if they had that kid, they would have won it. "
To secure Messi, Pekerman convinced the Argentine Football Association president to expedite Messi's call-up, insisting the match be held at the Argentinos Juniors stadium for symbolic reasons tied to Argentine football history.
This calculated move permanently tied Messi to Argentina, making him ineligible for Spain and securing a future star for Argentine football legend history. Messi went on to have a storied career for Argentina, culminating in a 2022 World Cup win and becoming the country's all-time leading scorer with 115 goals.
