The former director general of Manchester City between 2008 and 2011, Garry Cook , revealed an anecdote in an interview in The Atlantic that reveals how chaotic the arrival of foreign capital to the club was. According to his own story, in his first year he came to offer Barcelona about 80 million euros -70 million pounds- for the signing of Leo Messi by mistake. At that time it would have been the most expensive transfer in history, breaking the record of the march of Zinedine Zidane from Juventus to Real Madrid (77.5 million). At that time, yes, Messi, although he was only 21 years old, was already an undisputed holder and had been third in the Golden Ballot vote.

According to Cook, the mistake occurred due to a misunderstanding in a telephone conversation with his bosses. Specifically with one of them, Pairoj Piempongsant , the number two of the then owner of Manchester City, Thaksin Shinawatra , with a partner, Paul Aldridge , director of operations of the club, in between.

"Pairoj Piempongsant was warming up," Cook told The Athletic. "I was talking on the phone with Paul Aldridge. But imagine the scene: Paul saying, with his London accent," Pairoj, you have to tell me what we are doing, everything is out of control "and Pairoj giving himself a massage and at the same time shouting "Yes Yes Yes! Everything very messy, messy, it's getting messy! "Cook recalled. In English, Piempongsant's words were" Yes, yes, yes! Very messy, messy, it's getting messy! ", But Cook understood" We've got to get Messi "and there was a mess.

The General Director of the City complied with the orders he believed he had received and presented the offer.

"Days later Paul came over and told me again that everything was being a mess and that he did not understand what we were doing. I told him that he had presented the offer for Messi," Cook said. " Dave Richards , from the Premier, called me the next day: 'Garry, have you made an offer for Lionel Messi? Seventy million pounds? Are you crazy?'" Revealed the CEO to prove that the offer was a done. And, although everything ended up as a misunderstanding, according to Cook, Barcelona had told Richards that he could consider the offer if it was "true."

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