Ex-Manchester City CEO reveals story of failed, delayed bid for Lionel Messi in 2008

One of the very few criticisms thrown at football superstar Lionel Messi is the fact that the Argentinian is untested outside Spain. While playing for the Argentina national team, Messi has tasted little success. However, things could have been a lot different for both the Argentina legend and the Premier League, according to The Athletic's Daniel Taylor. 

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Manchester City registered bizarre Lionel Messi bid in 2008

Former Manchester City CEO Garry Cook recently admitted to The Athletic that the club had submitted a whopping £70 million bid for Lionel Messi in 2008, albeit by accident. That year was a time of upheaval for Manchester City, thanks to former owner and Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra's financial problems. Things could have been a lot different for the Premier League today had Cook and City put in a bid for Messi a few weeks earlier. 

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"Pairoj (Piempongsant), you got to tell me what we’re doing, it’s getting out of control.’ Pairoj was lying on a chaise lounge and shouting: ‘Yes, yes, yes! Very messy, messy, it’s getting messy.’ Something got lost in translation and that was misheard as ‘we’ve got to get Messi’. I said: ‘Put the offer in, let’s see what we come up with.’ Then Dave Richards called me the next day from the Premier League. ‘Garry, have you put in an offer for Lionel Messi? Seventy million pounds? Are you mad?’ He said he’d had a call from Barcelona and they wanted to know if it was real. They were saying to Dave that, if it was real, they might have done a deal a few weeks earlier.” - Garry Cook to The Athletic

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The bizarre Lionel Messi deal apart, Manchester City did make some shrewd signings with Garry Cook at the helm. Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate Yaya Toure made his way to the blue half of Manchester, while the likes of club legends Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero were also signed by the club. These were the signings that ultimately paved the way for Manchester City to assert their dominance in the Premier League in the last couple of years. While things may not have gone their way in the Premier League this season, Manchester City are still in the mix for the Champions League, FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. Of these, Manchester City have drawn arguably the most high-profile opponents in the Champions League - Real Madrid. The 2019-20 Champions League Round of 16 fixtures will see Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane face off against each other for the first time in their managerial careers. 

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