Lionel Messi is a jewel that every coach would find appealing. Barcelona struggled to align their books to fit Messi into it. Many clubs were also working to convince the player to join them.
Every Cule had looked forward with dread to the day that Lionel Messi would leave the club. They all thought the day he leaves would be the day he retires. None envisaged the Argentine in the jersey of another club.
Based on financial might, very few clubs would have been able to afford the Argentine. The situation is also not helped by the Covid-19 induced financial struggles of a lot of clubs. PSG, Manchester City or Chelsea are the clubs that would feature in every list. Not a very long list, but another club tried to convince the Argentine to join them.
Simeone confession
While PSG and Manchester City were thought to be the most likely destination for Messi, it was revealed that the Atletico coach, Diego Simeone, also held an interest in the player.
If the Argentine coach had his way, his compatriot would ply his trade in the Spanish capital rather than the French capital. He hoped to convince his compatriot to switch to Atletico. Simeone believed that thea of reuniting him with his former teammate would be enough to convince the six-time Ballon d'Or winner to join him at Atletico.
He confessed that he asked Luis Suarez to sample Messi's opinion on thea of joining Atletico Madrid. However unlikely it may sound, it was worth a try, and it would have been a game-changer in the La Liga if Messi had joined Atletico Madrid.
Luis Suarez has been an unstoppable force at Atletico, and the explosive partnership while at Barca would have been reenacted to the advantage of Atletico Madrid.
Simeone's words
Speaking to Argentine outlet Ole, Simeone said he didn't call Messi but rather urged Suarez to talk to Messi. Simeone wanted to know if the club could make moves for his compatriot. He hoped there was a chance, no matter how small it was, that Atletico could sign him.
According to him, it lasted three hours as PSG had already stolen a march on them and eventually went on to sign Messi in one of the biggest transfer news of the summer.
Simeone said he believes Messi should play in a team that wants to win. He said he hoped he would be open to an Atleti move because they are a team that wants to win and can compete for trophies.
The Argentine manager denied making contact with Messi. According to him, it was like watching a plane go by in the sky.
Lionel Messi has managed only one goal for PSG since he joined - a second-half goal in the Champions League against Manchester City.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
