Two do not disagree that the Argentine star, Lionel Messi, is not only the captain of Barcelona or his historic goalscorer, but he is a symbol for the team since 2008, the moment the Brazilian Ronaldinho left the team.
The symbol of the Catalan team was presented to him in 2013 by an astronomical presentation by the traditional rivals Real Madrid, and President Florentino Perez's dream was to see the Argentine star in the "Los Blancos" shirt.
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the offer to Messi came before the period when the royal dominated Europe and the decline of the continental glow of the Blaugrana.
The Italian journalist adds, "Perez made an offer of up to 250 million euros to the Argentine star ... These funds were earmarked for the development of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium."
And he continued, "Messi responded quickly and said: I will not go to Real Madrid, you are wasting your time."
Football Leaks leaked this information in 2018, and de Marzio came to confirm the information and give more details about the Meringue offer.
The truth is that Real is not the only team that tried to win Messi away from Barca. Inter tried to include Messi and his attempt failed, as did Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
Now we are months away from June 2021, the date of the end of the "Pulga" contract, and the football world is preoccupied with Messi's next destination. Will he remain in Catalonia until he retires?
Or will Manchester City - the favorite to sign him - will include the player?