2023-11-29T17:19:49+00:00
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/ Media reports revealed, on Wednesday, that Argentine star Lionel Messi asked his former coach Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, to sign him and transfer him to the English club after Barcelona lost eight goals to two against Bayern Munich in the famous match that brought the two teams together in… UEFA Champions League.
The Catalan newspaper “Sport” reported that Messi offered Guardiola to sign with him in the summer of 2020, when the crisis broke out between the Argentine legend and Barcelona’s board of directors, headed by Josep Maria Bartomeu, which led to Messi sending a “Burofax” requesting his departure from “Camp Nou.”
Journalist Marti Berarnau explained in his book about coach Pep Guardiola, in which he highlights the seven years that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach spent with Manchester City.
The author added that in August 2020, a WhatsApp message from Sergio Aguero caught the attention of many people inside Manchester City, when he said: Be careful, something could happen. Leo Messi asked me how long Guardiola would spend with the team.
Messi sent a message to Pep Guardiola, who was returning to Manchester after the defeat by Lyon in the 2019-2020 Champions League, during the final stage held in Lisbon, in which Barcelona lost in a painful way to Bayern Munich 8-2, a few days before Manchester City’s exit.
Guardiola received a letter from his former player in which he explained that he was hurt by the humiliating result, had made the decision to leave, and wanted to know if he could meet his former coach again.
Journalist Marti Berarnau revealed that Guardiola then met with Messi at the former’s home in Barcelona, which was the second meeting since the coach’s departure from Barcelona in 2012, and that the Argentine star conveyed to the Manchester City coach his differences with the Catalan club’s management, especially President Bartomeu.
Guardiola was ready to extend his contract with Manchester City, and Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City, and Jorge Messi, the player’s father and agent, were supposed to lead the negotiations, but the main obstacle was that the Argentine had one year remaining in his contract with Barcelona, protected by a release clause. An amount of 750 million euros.