Glasgow Rangers were no strangers to signing players from Barcelona in the early 2000s, paying big money for Mikel Arteta and Ronald de Boer.
However, those at Ibrox nearly brought in Lionel Messi from the Catalan giants before he broke into the first-team picture at the Nou Camp.
The Argentina icon is rightly recognised as one of the best footballers to ever play the game and hasn’t looked back since making his senior Barcelona debut at the age of 17 in 2004. He spent 17 years with Barcelona before signing for Paris Saint-Germain and then Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi’s major honours
Year won
Ballon d’Or
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023
World Cup
2022
Copa America
2021, 2024
Champions League
2006, 2009, 2011, 2015
La Liga
2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
Ligue 1
2022, 2023
Uefa Super Cup
2009, 2011, 2015
Club World Cup
2010, 2012, 2016
Copa del Rey
2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021
Spanish Super Cup
2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
Supporters’ Shield
2024
MLS League Cup
2023
Olympic Gold Medal
2008
French Super Cup
2022
Messi has won everything there is to win in the game, including eight Ballon d’Or awards, and he finally claimed World Cup glory with his country in 2022.
However, things could have been so different for the magician, if those in Glasgow got their way.
How Rangers nearly signed Messi from Barcelona
As per a report from Goal, Rangers actually made enquiries to sign Messi on loan from Barcelona prior to his senior debut. Unfortunately, those efforts were turned down by those at the Nou Camp, but it was Alex McLeish’s son, Jon, who found Messi.
Talking on Graham Hunter’s The Big Interview podcast in 2017, McLeish went into detail on how his son’s love of Football Manager alerted him to Messi in 2003, with Rangers on the search for a replacement for Barry Ferguson.
“My son Jon was into Championship Manager. He was constantly giving me names in South America. They come out of the sky and say ‘Lionel Messi is going to be the best player in the world’.
“He was 13 or 14 at the time. You dismiss it but Rangers were downsizing and we were looking for some quality in midfield.
“Barry Ferguson had gone down to Blackburn so we lost a guy who would have taken the ball in any stadium anywhere in the world. We needed players of that ilk again.
“Jan Wouters phoned Henk ten Cate, who was the assistant of Frank Rijkaard, the ex-Dutch international.
“Jan phoned him and said: ‘Messi?’ We were told no chance.”
Jon’s prediction of Messi becoming the greatest in the world was accurate, showing the powers Football Manager can have in real life.
