Former Argentina full-back spills inside story of Espanyol’s secret attempt to sign Messi – ‘They made a move’ | OneFootball

Former Argentina full-back Pablo Zabaleta has opened the door to a fascinating episode from Lionel Messi’s early years, one that many football fans may have heard whispers about, but rarely in such detail. 

During a recent appearance on Post United’s After (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Zabaleta revisited his time at Espanyol and shed new light on the long-rumoured attempt by the Catalan club to sign Messi before he exploded at Barcelona.

According to Zabaleta, Espanyol were fully aware of his strong friendship with Messi, and this connection encouraged them to explore whether the young Argentine might be open to making a move across the city. 

Interesting story

Before revealing Messi’s situation at the time, Zabaleta explained that Espanyol’s interest was not just a rumour but a genuine inquiry.

“Espanyol made a move, and obviously they came looking for me because they knew about my relationship with Leo, who had just played in the Under-20 World Cup. 

“There was an issue where Barça already had all their non-EU spots filled with the first team, so in a way, Messi couldn’t go back to playing for Barça’s youth team or the B team after that World Cup or what he had done. 

“In a way, Messi was already a player who was ready to go straight to Barça’s first team. 

“But anyway, I remember that as the spots were already filled, there was a problem in Barça’s first team, and Espanyol started to make a move,” explained Zabaleta.

Espanyol were interested in signing Lionel Messi. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

He then broke down the specific request Espanyol’s leadership made, highlighting just how serious their interest was.

“The club’s directors asked me, since you have a relationship with him, do you think we can do something so that Messi can come and play for Espanyol? 

“But anyway, they tried to see if there was, I don’t know, some way that Espanyol could make it happen.”

Everyone knows the ending

Of course, the story’s ending is now part of footballing history. Messi never left Barcelona at that stage, and Espanyol’s discreet attempt fell apart almost immediately. 

Zabaleta explained that Barça reacted at lightning speed, sealing Messi’s future and ensuring no rival, let alone a neighbour, could come close to him.

“Barça moved so quickly that there was no chance of it happening, and Barça was obviously not going to let a situation of that magnitude happen, losing a player like Leo to another team, the city’s biggest rival. 

“I’ll tell you, not even to Espanyol, but to another club in Spain, knowing that if we have the best, we can’t lose this player. 

“He has to come straight to the first team. So, I think there was no way Leo could leave Barça at that time,” he concluded.