Zabaleta: Espanyol wanted to sign Messi, but Barcelona could not let him go to their rivals in the same city

Former Argentine defender Zabaleta recently accepted an interview and revealed the behind-the-scenes details of Espanyol's attempt to sign Messi many years ago, and talked about Barcelona's reaction at the time.

About the Spaniard’s initial actions and the relationship between Zabaleta and Messi​

"The Spaniards did take action at the time. It was normal for them to come to me because they knew that I had a good relationship with Messi, and he had just finished playing in the U20 World Cup at that time."

About Messi's situation in Barcelona at the time and the "opportunity" that the Spaniard thought​

"At that time, the number of non-EU players in the Barcelona first team was full, so In a sense, after playing in the U20 World Cup and achieving those results, it is impossible for Messi to return to the youth team or the B team. "But the problem is that the quota is indeed full, and the Barcelona first team is encountering difficulties. "

Regarding the specific requirements of the Spaniard's senior management for him,

" asked the club director. Me: ‘You have a good relationship with him, do you think it’s possible for us to do something to bring Messi to Espanyol? ’ They actually want to test to see if there is some way, and I can’t tell how the signing can be achieved.”

About the final result and Barcelona’s reaction

”Barcelona responded very quickly, and they obviously couldn’t let that happen, especially with someone like Messi. "

Regarding the possibility of Messi leaving Barcelona at that time, "I tell you, not only the Spaniards, but also any club in Spain cannot let him go."

"He must be directly promoted to the first team. "