Former Real Madrid scout Miguel Angel Portugal reveals that Lionel Messi was offered to the Spanish club as a teenager in 2001, but the historic transfer never materialized due to the relationship between Madrid and Barcelona.

Potential Move to Madrid

Former Real Madrid star Miguel Angel Portugal made a shocking revelation that Argentine icon Lionel Messi, who featured for arch-rivals FC Barcelona for the vast majority of his career, could have gone to Los Blancos back in 2001 as a teenager. Miguel said that an opportunity did exist at one point and that one of the footballer's close people had proposed a move to the club. Miguel, 70, played for Real Madrid from 1979 to 1983 and later coached their reserve sides. He also worked as a talent scout and technical secretary at the Bernabeu. Mundo Deportivo picked some excerpts from his interview with AS, as per Goal.com, in which he told stories about some superstars that could have worn the club's iconic white colours. Messi had played for Barcelona as a youth for four years before his senior debut later in 2004.

The Scouting Perspective

Speaking on Messi, Miguel said, as quoted by Goal.com, "There was a moment when we could have moved to sign him, as he did not yet have a professional contract with Barcelona, and the negotiations to renew his contract had not been settled, and at that time one of the people close to him proposed his move to Real Madrid." "How real was it? "I do not know whether it was true or not, but the information reached the club, to the effect that it was possible to move to sign him," he added.

Looking back, Miguel said that the "opportunity really did exist". "The opportunity really did exist. The club did not want to sever its relations with Barcelona, but there was indeed a rapprochement. Nevertheless, I believe he would not have taken that step out of respect for the relationship between the two clubs," he added.

Messi's International Legacy

Earlier in October, Messi signed off from international football in fairytale fashion, delivering two assists and scoring a goal as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 victory over Benin in Buenos Aires. In what was billed as Messi's final appearance for Argentina, the legendary forward produced another masterclass to cap a remarkable international career and leave the home crowd with an unforgettable memory.

Messi, a two-time Copa America winner (2021 and 2024) and a FIFA WC winner, ended his international career with 126 goals and 208 appearances for Argentina, the most by a player for the Blue and White side. He also ended up as the second-highest FIFA WC goal-scorer with 21 goals, overtaking Miroslav Klose's record before Kylian Mbappe (22 goals) snatched the top spot from him. Messi's 2026 WC was a record, with eight goals and four assists. He continues to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS). (ANI)

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