Arsene Wenger came agonisingly close to signing Barca’s talisman.
Arsene Wenger nearly brought Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi to Arsenal when he was 16-years-old, according to CaughtOffside.
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The Gunners boss narrowly missed out on one of the greatest ever players due to an issue with his work permit back in 2003.
The Frenchman attempted to bring Messi, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas to North London from La Masia, but was only able to entice the latter to Highbury.
Having now won La Liga six times, the Ballon d’Or four times and being a three-times Champions League winner, the Argentine is probably pretty pleased with his decision to stay at the Nou Camp.
Fabregas went on to make over 200 appearances for Wenger’s after joining as a teenager and his development was even faster than Messi’s.
The Spaniard eventually pushed for a move back to the Catalan giants, leaving fans at the Emirates Stadium devastated.
The 27-year-old recently made a move to rivals Chelsea, which certainly hasn’t helped his popularity at his former club.
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