Revealed: How close Arsenal came to signing Lionel Messi

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:09 CDT
• 3 min read

Arsenal were inches away from signing Lionel Messi while he was still a youth team player at Barcelona.

Back in 2003, when Gunners were working to bring in Cesc Fabregas from the La Liga, the side were also eyeing Messi.

Former Arsenal scout Francis Cagigao has now told Spanish outlet AS how close the Premier League outfit was from signing the recent World Cup winner.

READ MORE: Barcelona's Messi appeal: Court reaches final decision on transfer

"The first time I saw him was in Lloret de Mar, at the MIC tournament, when he just turned 15. He was already a phenomenon. Messi's situation was not regulated and it was impossible for him to have a work permit in the UK," Cagigao said.

"He had several meetings with Horacio Gaggioli, his representative at the time, but it was impossible. The Piqué thing was not done due to a somewhat complex bureaucratic issue. In the end we signed Cesc Fábregas from that great Barça cadet team.

"There is an Arsenal before Wenger and another after him. The current Arsenal could not be understood without his presence there for so many years. That's why he has a statue in the stadium.

Cagigao continued: "I think he revolutionised English football when he arrived and he is the most successful coach in the club's history, winning three leagues, eight cups, being a Champions League finalist... and he did it with budgets that today would be considered ridiculous."

Arsenal were unable to secure a work permit for Messi and this all but ended their hopes of bringing the star to north London.

Wenger on missing Messi

Of course, Arsene Wenger was in the dugout at the time, and he later talked about the missed opportunity that Arsenal had.

“We were in discussions with [Messi] when we bought Fabregas, because Messi played [with him]. You can realise sometimes what fantastic youth teams you had before when you’re a club like Barcelona," he told beIN Sports in 2019.

"In the same team, Messi, [Gerard] Pique and Fabregas. Pique and Fabregas came to England [with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively], Messi stayed in Spain. We were interested in him, but he was untouchable at the time."

Barcelona gave Messi his senior debut just a year later - and he went on to win seven Ballon d'Ors, 10 LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues there before joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.