Argentine maestro Lionel Messi could have been playing in the English Premier League, but the Cityzen were unable to meet his demands
2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi was ready to quit his boyhood club Barcelona in 2020 after spending over twenty years at Camp Nou.
A host of clubs, including Manchester City, were interested in acquiring the services of one of the greatest players of all time.
However, Lionel Messi later joined Paris Saint-German (PSG) in the French League instead of moving to England.
Why Messi's Manchester City move didn't materialise
Argentine news outlet El Chiringuito (via Sport Witness) reported that Lionel Messi was keen on joining the Cityzens because of his close friend Sergio Aguero and former boss Pep Guardiola.
However, Lionel Messi wanted assurance that Aguero would remain at Manchester City by the time he made his move, but this wasn't the case as the former Atletico Madrid striker joined Barcelona.
On the otherhand, Pep Guardiola remained at Manchester City and would later go on to win a historic treble with the Cityzen - including their first-ever Champions League trophy.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi's move to PSG was not as successful, although he won the French Ligue 1 and the most-important trophy of his career - the FIFA World Cup which had eluded him for years.
After just two seasons (without winning the Champions League) at PSG, Lionel Messi was on a move again - this time to team up with Manchester United legend David Beckham at Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi set the Major League Soccer (MLS) on fire during his arrival, scoring crucial goals and leading them to their first piece of silverware.
Messi is third on Inter Miami's all-time top goalscorers list, hitting 16 goals in 19 appearances. Only Leonardo Campana (25 goals in 72 matches) and Gonzalo Higuaín (29 goals in 70 matches) are ahead of the former Barcelona man.
Comments