Former Barcelona midfielder reveals Messi’s role in his transfer: ‘Didn’t even have time to think’ | OneFootball

While Paulinho may well have played just one season for Barcelona, that campaign was enough to leave him in the memory of every Blaugrana fan.

It was in the 2017-18 season that he signed for the Catalan club, arriving as a rather unexpected signing from China. 

His season, however, was a special one. While he did not adapt to the club’s style, he added value through his direct style of football, while also scoring ten goals and six assists in just 34 games for the club.

The story behind his signing

The former Barcelona player spoke to the media (h/t SPORT) in a recent interview where he revealed a surprising fact that it was a conversation with Lionel Messi in an international friendly that he learned of Barcelona’s interest in him.

“Messi approached me. We were playing a friendly against Argentina in Australia. The referee had just whistled a foul, and I was next to the ball with Willian,” he began, setting up the story.

“Suddenly, Leo approaches me, stares me in the eyes and says: ‘So, are we going to Barcelona or not?’. Just like that. Without any explanation. He turned around and left. I didn’t even have time to think,” he added on how the topic came up.

Shocked by what he just heard from the best player on the planet, Paulinho revealed his thought process at the time.

“I simply said: ‘If you want to take me, I’ll go!'”

Paulinho learnt of Barcelona’s interest through Messi. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

 “At that time, I played in the Chinese Super League with Guangzhou Evergrande, and no one would believe that Barcelona was interested in me,” he elaborated.

“I thought Messi was joking, as if he was trying to manipulate me to mislead me during the game. But it was only a friendly, so I started to doubt it,” he concluded.

Stirred up by the developments, the player contacted his agents to find out if Barcelona’s interest in him was genuine and if Messi was indeed telling the truth.

“After the game, I called my agent and said: ‘Boss, for God’s sake, I’m going crazy! Tell me if this is real or not!'”

“I was so desperate that I even thought about writing to Neymar to see if he knew something,” he added.

Speaking on how the saga finally ended on a happy note, Paulinho said: “A month later, my agent called me and told me: ‘The deal is closed. You have to come to Barcelona to sign the papers.'”