LIONEL MESSI CAME within “centimetres” of signing on loan for Barcelona’s local rivals Espanyol, according to Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino was playing with Espanyol in the latter stages of his career when the club apparently explored a loan deal for Barca’s Messi.
The Spurs boss was responding to comments from Brendan Rodgers after the former Liverpool manager claimed he came close to signing Dele Alli.
Now at Tottenham, Alli is quickly emerging as a rising star of English football, but Pochettino does not see the value in talking about what might have been.
“Do you know how many players in football are close to signing for many clubs? It’s only one comment from some manager. Dele Alli now is here,” the Argentine said.
“We were close at Espanyol to signing Lionel Messi – a centimetre. Unbelievable but this was true.
Messi was 17, playing for [the] Under-18s and very close to signing for Espanyol. It was close but it never happened.
“In football it’s always ‘if, if, if’ but in football it’s about reality. It’s not about maybe what could have happened.”
Alli scored one of the goals of the Premier League season so far as Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 3-1 away on Saturday, the teenager flicking the ball over his head and turning before volleying into the net as in-form Spurs’ continued their charge up the table.
The key words are ‘ on loan’…
Ya thought the same thing myself very misleading headline pure clickbait stuff
That info is in the sub-heading, which people are more than entitled to read before clicking into the piece. Headline is 100% accurate/based on Pochettino’s quote, so don’t see why you think it’s ‘very misleading’.
Ah Paul. Will you stop. That headline is totally based around getting clicks with the story slightly different to what is expected in the headline.
Forgot to say no sub headline if reading on a phone. Must click to get real story.
“If only”….. If only what??? He would have spent a season at the club and then went back to Barcelona
MESSI NEARLY SIGNED FOR ESPANYOL …..on loan. That’s what I found very misleading
A loan signing is a signing though. Watch over the next week or so Jim White will be at it thr whole time.
Ivan de la Pena,maxi Rodriguez,raul tamudo and messi.that 2004/05 espanyol attack could have been pretty good
no problem with the headline he did nearly sign loan or permanent he still nearly signed.
Ya, it is not an inaccurate statement. I think it’s more Pouch taking the piss out of Rodgers
that’s exactly it dave.