Lionel Messi’s trajectory could have taken a completely different direction around two decades ago, with Spain trying to recruit him before he became Argentina’s icon. Ginés Meléndez, former coordinator of the Spanish youth categories, revealed in past interviews the behind-the-scenes of a frustrated attempt to bring the star to the national team.
Meléndez detailed how Argentina learned of Messi’s talent. In an interview requested by an intermediary named Horacio for the newspaper El Grão, in Buenos Aires, he mentioned the existence of a “spectacular” Argentine player at Barcelona. However, the warning had already been given internally during the semi-final of the U17 World Cup in Finland, in 2003.
The Spanish federation considered Messi’s name a priority, given the rarity of his talent. Renowned coaches, such as Vicente del Bosque, World Cup champion with Spain in 2010, commented to Meléndez years later about the impact of the loss. Del Bosque even stated that, if Messi had played for Spain, the country could have won “two or three more World Cups”, highlighting the scale of the lost opportunity.
The Argentine coordinator at the time, Hugo Tocali, a friend of Meléndez, questioned him about the truth of the rumors of a fantastic player at Barcelona, as Argentina had not yet called him up. Meléndez confirmed this and warned that if they did not do so, Spain would try to recruit him for the national team. After the tournament, a friendly match was organized to call up Messi, who agreed to represent Argentina in November 2003.
Despite their efforts, Spain never managed to persuade Lionel Messi to defend their colors, remaining faithful to the Argentine national team.
More than 20 years after the events, destiny linked the star from Rosário to the country that welcomed him during his training, with several notable clashes throughout his career, including possibilities of reunions in future high-profile competitions.
Former Barcelona teammates tried to convince Messi to play for Spain
The Rosario-born player was part of a “golden generation” at Barcelona, a group that dominated the club’s youth categories. From an early age, there were plans to include him in the national teams. Meléndez even tried to use young promises Gerard Piqué and Cesc Fàbregas to convince Messi.
“Piqué and Cesc called him constantly. They were his teammates at Barça, and as I had seven or eight players from that team and we were going to play in Portugal with the under-15 and under-16 teams, they pressured him to come with me. But he never wanted to,” concluded the former coordinator of Spain’s youth teams about what could have been one of the most impactful signings in the history of FIFA’s national teams.
Key points about Spain’s attempt to recruit Messi
- Ginés Meléndez alerted Argentina to Lionel Messi’s talent in 2003, through interviews and conversations.
- Argentina officially called up Messi in November 2003, after learning of his potential.
- Players like Piqué and Fàbregas pressured Messi to represent Spain, but he always refused.
