Messi pleaded with Guardiola to join Man City in secret transfer meeting

Lionel Messi tried to reassure Pep Guardiola that he could handle the intensity of playing for Manchester City during a 2020 conversation documented in a new book.

According to "God Save Pep" by Marti Perarnau, Messi contacted Guardiola, his former manager at Barcelona, through Sergio Aguero as he tried to sort out his next move amid dissatisfaction in Spain. Around this time, the forward had publicly blasted his longtime club. He apparently viewed Manchester City as an ideal destination, pleading with one of his favorite bosses about the possible reunion.

The book claims that in a meeting at Guardiola's home in Barcelona, he told Messi that Manchester City training might prove too challenging at an advanced stage of his career, Messi firmly denied that was the case. He was 33 years old at the time.

"I will train hard, I’m not worried," Messi reportedly said to Guardiola. "I will put up with everything you do." Messi remained at Barcelona for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. But given public comments critical of then-club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and looming financial trouble for the team, he played out that campaign knowing it might be his last with them.

After a Luis Suarez-led Atletico Madrid won La Liga in a cruel twist to Messi's final stretch in the Spanish top-flight, rumours swirled all summer about whether Manchester City would indeed swoop in for the legendary Argentina star. Despite Messi's reported conversation with Guardiola, Manchester City let Paris Saint-Germain complete their dramatic bid to bring him to the French capital.

According to previous reporting from The Athletic, Manchester City prioritised landing Jack Grealish and Harry Kane after the European Championships in the summer of 2021 rather than focusing their attention on Messi. They secured Grealish but could not pry Kane away from Tottenham.

Messi spent two seasons at PSG, winning the league twice but failing to claim the Champions League prize. Many fans at the Parc des Princes turned on him by the end of his tenure. They jeered him and Neymar in the final months of the 2022-23 season, which both players have said created a difficult environment.

Over the summer, with his PSG contract expiring, Messi chose Inter Miami as his next stop - and Manchester City never appeared a real possibility. Instead, the main competition for his signature came from Saudi Arabia, the place former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo ended up. From the start, Messi has appeared happy in his new home, helping the United States club to their first ever trophy.

"I want to thank all the people in Miami for this welcome. This affection since I arrived here," Messi said at his Inter Miami unveiling. "I think that my colleagues and I are going to give everything to build this project, and I am also very happy to have chosen this city, to have chosen this project. I have no doubt that we are going to have a great time and we are going to experience very nice things. Thank you for this day."