It Was Revealed That Real Madrid Once Offered Barca IDR 4.3 Trillion To Transport Messi To The Bernabeu

Lionel Messi (Instagram @leomessi)

JAKARTA - Lionel Messi is a symbol of Barcelona since Ronaldinho left for AC Milan in 2008. However, it turns out that La Pulga was once a target for Real Madrid.

The Argentine superstar has reportedly had the opportunity to sign a contract with Los Blancos . But he refused. In fact, anchoring Messi at the Santiago Bernabeu is indeed Florentino Perez's dream and plan in 2013.

As reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the offer arrived just before Real Madrid's period of domination in Europe and Barcelona's difficult years on the Blue Continent.

"The proposal from the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, was submitted in 2013 and he offered 250 million euros (equivalent to Rp4.3 trillion) for the Argentine (Messi)," wrote Di Marzio in his book Grand Hotel Calciomercato .

"The money was originally intended for the rebuilding of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. However, Messi's response was very outspoken, basically he said 'I'm not going to Real Madrid, you're wasting time'."

The news regarding this offer was previously debated by Football Leaks in 2018. However, Di Marzio now has more answers about the situation.

The reality is that Real Madrid are not the only club that has tried to keep Messi away from the Catalan during his career. Massimo Moratti once declared his dream to bring Messi to Inter, but he failed.

Meanwhile, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City also hit a stalemate which was marked by the attacker's loyalty to the club that developed him as a young player.

However, ahead of June 2021 when Messi's contract with the Spanish giants officially ends, no one knows what will happen next, especially with Manchester City still very interested in the striker.

Barcelona's presidential election will likely play a role in Messi's decision. But one thing is certain, and that is Messi doesn't want to play for Real Madrid.