Lionel Messi was close to joining Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City from Barcelona in 2020 but a reunion between the two sides ultimately fell through.
New details from Martin Perarnau’s upcoming book, The Pep Revolution: Inside Manchester City, have revealed that Messi is keen on reuniting with his former boss.
Excerpts from the book, published by the Daily Mail, suggest that Messi and Pep Guardiola are both facing disappointment after disappointing seasons at their respective clubs. Guardiola was left devastated by Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final exit to Lyon, while Messi suffered a heartbreaking 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich at the same stage.
Coach Pep Guardiola and Messi had a long period of great success at Barca. Photo: GETTY.
The excerpts also reveal that Messi texted close friend Sergio Aguero to ask about Guardiola’s contract, casting doubt over both their futures. Aguero shared the news with his Manchester City teammates via Whatsapp, saying: “Something big is about to happen. Leo Messi just asked me how long Pep’s contract is.”
The book reveals that manager Pep Guardiola was unable to read the message from Lionel Messi for several hours because he was on a flight from Lisbon. When he landed, Guardiola received a message from Messi saying: “Hi Pep, how are you?”. The next day, Guardiola and Messi met in Barcelona and had a conversation that lasted six and a half hours. During the meeting, Messi expressed his dissatisfaction with the way he was treated at Barcelona and expressed his intention to move to Manchester City.
Messi was once “threatened” by coach Pep Guardiola to do heavy training at Man City. Photo: GETTY.
Although the pair discussed the possibility of a reunion after a successful spell together at Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, Messi ultimately decided to stay at Camp Nou before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and joining Inter Miami in 2023.
Martin Perarnau’s book reveals key details of a conversation between Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola regarding Messi’s move from Barcelona to Manchester City. During the conversation, Guardiola joked with Messi about whether the Argentine would like to play in England. He also warned Messi that the team trained very hard, something Messi did not object to. Guardiola said: “I will still give long tactical lectures. You might get bored.” Messi replied: “I can endure. I can endure anything you throw at me.”
The Man City manager also wondered whether Messi and he could have a successful reunion like they did at Barca, now that they are both older. Here’s an excerpt from the conversation: Guardiola: “Leo, we’re both much older than we used to be. Maybe we won’t get along anymore.” Messi: “Pep, I just want the chance to do great things, to feel ready to shine again.”
In Martin Perarnau’s book, the author reveals that coach Pep Guardiola promised to extend his contract with Manchester City if Lionel Messi joined the team. Both sides planned to have Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, and agent Ferran Soriano lead the negotiations. At the time, Messi had a year left on his contract with Barcelona, but in the end no deal was made, and Messi decided to stay at Barcelona.
Coach Pep Guardiola regrets not being able to reunite with superstar Messi. Photo: GETTY.
The book also says that Manchester City players were excited about the prospect of Messi joining the team. According to the excerpt, Bernardo Silva even texted that he was willing to “run double” to support Messi if he did indeed come to the Etihad. Although the reunion between Messi and Guardiola did not happen, both of them ended up achieving great success in their careers.
