Lionel Messi reveals 'childhood dream' he couldn't accomplish because of early move to Barcelona

Lionel Messi has revealed that his move to Barcelona at a very young age scuppered his ‘childhood dream’ of playing for the first team of Newell’s Old Boys, the club where his football journey began.

On December 14, 2000, Barcelona made a bold move by agreeing to a deal that would bring a 13-year-old Messi to Spain on an improvised contract written on a paper napkin. The Argentine icon went on to become not only a club legend but also arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport.

Reflecting on his move to Barcelona during an interview with ESPN, Lionel Messi explained that it changed his life completely, admitting that it was something he never envisaged.

“I always say that my childhood dream was to play for Newell's first team,” he said. “I'd go to the stadium, I played there, and I dreamed of becoming a professional in Primera. Then my life changed completely because I left at 13, debuted for Barcelona, and everything that happened afterward. It's something I never would've imagined, not even in my best dreams. I lived things much bigger than anything I could have dreamed of.”

Lionel Messi played across different youth levels at La Blaugrana before making his competitive debut as a substitute for the club on October 16, 2004, in a LaLiga fixture against Espanyol. He left Barca in 2021 as the club’s most decorated player and all-time top scorer (672) while complementing it with numerous individual accolades.

Lionel Messi names former Barcelona coach as the ‘best of all’; details relationship with him

In the same interview, Lionel Messi named former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola as the greatest manager in the world. Between 2008 and 2012, Messi was under the guidance of Guardiola, with the Spaniard birthing Barca’s golden era during those periods.

On Guardiola, Messi said:

"I had crossed paths with him once, but I didn't know him, we had no relationship until he became our coach at Barcelona. Pep is unique. There are extraordinarily good coaches, but he has something special -- he's the best of all for me. A bit like what we said about Scaloni: the way he sees things, prepares matches, communicates ... for me he's the best.

“We were lucky that we all coincided at Barcelona -- him and all of us. He had the pieces he needed for what he wanted. Then he went somewhere else and kept winning. It's not just winning; it's how his teams play. He did it at Bayern, he did it at City. Even though he didn't win the Champions League at Bayern, he changed the way football was played in Germany, where they were used to a different style. In England he did the same... He not only changes a team, he changes how the whole league plays.”

Messi described his relationship with Guardiola as ‘great,’ crediting the 54-year-old for helping him improve his game. He continued:

“From the beginning we had a great relationship. Pep was very close, we talked a lot, and I learned an enormous amount from him I added more things to my game on top of what I already knew. I learned a lot with him -- how to move, how to read spaces.

“He was even the one who put me as a false nine; in Barcelona's youth teams I played behind the striker. That was really my position. Even when I debuted with [Frank] Rijkaard and later with Pep, they placed me as a winger, but I had never really played there.”

Pep Guardiola was the first to leave Barca and currently manages Manchester City, while Lionel Messi is with Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS).