“If that had happened, I would have taken him to Madrid” – When agent claimed Lionel Messi could have joined Real Madrid instead of Barcelona

FC Barcelona v Manchester United – UEFA Champions League Quarter Final: Second Leg – Source: Getty

Lionel Messi’s former agent Horacio Gaggioli recalled back in 2017 how the talismanic Argentine was once a whisker away from joining Real Madrid. Messi is arguably the greatest talent to ever come out of Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and is considered by many to be the greatest player to ever play football.

Horacio Gaggioli was Messi’s first agent and was instrumental in the Argentine signing his first contract with Barcelona on December 14, 2000. Gaggioli lived in the Catalan capital at that time and had fixed a trial for Lionel Messi at Camp Nou in September 2000.

In a 2017 interview with Globo Esporte, the agent revealed that he would have fixed Messi up for a trial at Santiago Bernabeu if he were living in Madrid instead of Barcelona – something that almost happened, according to the Gaggioli.

Due to life circumstances, I went to live in Barcelona and I brought him to Barca for a trial. But I was about to live in Madrid. If that had happened, I would have taken him to Madrid for a trial. That’s life, those are the details,” remarked Horacio Gaggioli.

“Today, Messi could have been a Real Madrid player, of course. The family wanted to come to Spain, to the city where I was to have some support,” he added.

Lionel Messi’s records for the Catalan giants stretch long enough to fill a book. The Argentine has scored a record-breaking 672 goals and created 303 more in 778 appearances for the Catalan club. However, he was forced to leave the Spanish giants in 2021 owing to the club’s well-documented financial constraints.

Horacio Gaggioli claimed Real Madrid were interested to sign Barcelona legend Lionel Messi

Barcelona v Real Madrid – La Liga – Source: Getty

Horacio Gaggioli once divulged that both Real Madrid and Arsenal were interested in signing Lionel Messi when he was a teenage prodigy at La Masia. However, the talismanic Argentine was adamant about staying with the Catalan outfit despite multiple offers from European juggernauts.

In an interview with Koora (via MARCA), Gaggioli said:

“Real Madrid were interested in him when he was young, he was 16 or 17 years old, but Leo never wanted to leave Barcelona.”

Talking about the interest from the Gunners, he added:

“Yes, Arsenal showed interest in signing Messi early in his career, but he didn’t want to leave Barça.”

Lionel Messi grew up to boast an enviable record against Los Blancos. In 47 El Clasicos across competitions, the Argentine won 20, drew 11, and took 16 losses. He also scored 26 goals and recorded 14 assists in those games – the most goal contributions by any player against Real Madrid.