According to FCinter1908, Moratti, during an interview with Kiss Kiss Napoli, reflected on the possibility of bringing Messi to Internazionale back in the day.
The former Internazionale president said: "Rather than dreaming of bringing him to Internazionale, I facilitated contact between the two sides. Messi was grateful to me for this, as it helped him get into the first team, and he never left."
Moratti stated that he had watched Messi play in the youth team at the time and was very impressed with him. Later, he learned that Barcelona was also helping Messi develop through physical training, and he felt it would not be appropriate for him to do this behind their backs. Ultimately, Messi's father discussed the matter with Barcelona, and Messi has been in the first team ever since.