A new book revealed that Leo Messi had Pep Guardiola sign for Manchester City in August 2020, when the crisis broke out between the Argentine and the FC Barcelona board of directors, headed by Josep Maria Bartomeu, following the loss to Bayern in the Champions League, which crystallized in a Borofacs message sent by the Argentine striker requesting his departure from Camp. No.
Spanish sports journalist Marti Berarnau said this in his book, “God Save Pep,” in which he talked about the seven years that Pep Guardiola spent coaching Manchester City.
The author explained that in August 2020, a WhatsApp message from Sergio Aguero caught the attention of many people within 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 Guardiola, who was on his way to Manchester after the defeat by Lyon in the 2019-2020 Champions League, during the final round that was held in Lisbon, in which Barcelona lost in a painful way to Bayern Munich 8-2, a few days before Manchester City’s exit. .
The Argentine star explained in his message that he was hurt by the humiliating result, that he had made the decision to leave, and wanted to know if he could meet his former coach again.
In 2020, Alphonso Davies asked Lionel Messi for his shirt after Bayern beat Barcelona 8-2.
He said Messi ‘was a little bit upset’ and hoped he’d get it next time.
Today, he finally got his shirt ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AOKvZFvrH6
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 14, 2023
Martí Berarnau explains that the meeting took place the next day at Guardiola’s home in Barcelona, and it was the second since the coach’s departure from Barcelona in 2012. That was when the Argentine expressed his desire to play under his leadership again. “Sir, I just want to break it down,” Leo says.
Messi conveyed to the Manchester City coach his differences with the Barcelona administration, especially with then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, and described the relationship with him as “deception and betrayal.”
Lionel Messi was reportedly keen to join Pep Guardiola’s Man City ⚽️
Spanish journalist Martí Perarnau’s new book claims that the Argentine proposed the move after Barcelona’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in 2020.
🔗 https://t.co/z7h515v83W#Messi #ManCityhttps://t.co/z7h515v83W
— AS USA (@English_AS) November 29, 2023
“It’s raining heavily in Manchester,” Pep replied, before talking for hours about the matter.
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.
Berarnau revealed part of the conversation that took place between Pep Guardiola and Messi as follows:
Pep: In Manchester we train hard.
Messi: I will train hard, I’m not worried.
Pip: Maybe you’ll get bored.
Messi: I will stand. I will tolerate everything you do.
Pep: We’ve grown up. Maybe we can’t stand each other anymore
Messi: Pep, I just want to destroy him (Josep Maria Bartomeu, then Barcelona president).
