The Shocking Reason Behind Lionel Messi's Failed Manchester City Move
As Lionel Messi's legendary tenure at Barcelona was winding down, numerous rumors circulated about the Argentine superstar potentially making his way to the Premier League with Manchester City.
However, this sensational transfer never materialized, and Messi eventually reunited with his longtime friend Neymar Jr. at Paris Saint-Germain for a two-year stint before departing Europe entirely to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
According to Martí Perarnau's biography of Pep Guardiola called "The Pep Revolution," it was revealed that Messi engaged in lengthy discussions with his former Barcelona coach about a potential reunion at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola cautioned Messi about the difficulties he would encounter if such a move were to happen, particularly mentioning the physical and combative approach of a specific manager.
Sean Dyche, who managed Burnley during the early part of the decade, recently appeared on talkSPORT and shared that after the Covid-19 pandemic, he had a discussion with Guardiola where he inquired about Messi potentially joining City. During this chat, Dyche discovered he was among the concerns Guardiola had mentioned to Messi, as he recounts the amusing conversation.
"Lionel [Messi] no way he can come to Manchester City," Guardiola explained to Dyche when questioned about the matter. "Because I told Lionel it rains. It rains and rains. And when it stops raining, it rains again.
"Lionel, on a Monday night, you have to go to Burnley, Sean's [Dyche] team. And they go bang, bang, bang, bang, bang," Dyche remembered Guardiola explaining, barely able to suppress his amusement. "I went, 'That's exactly what we're going to do, Pep, You warned him correctly.' Me and Brucey [Steve Bruce] were crying, honestly. It was genius. Pep, brilliant," Dyche commented.
The idea of witnessing the world's greatest footballer stepping onto Turf Moor amid relentless rainfall while enduring countless aggressive Burnley challenges seems almost dreamlike, yet that would have been his reality when facing a Dyche-managed squad.
Multiple elements contributed to Messi never arriving in the Premier League, but the fact that Guardiola specifically mentioned the ruthlessly physical style of Dyche's teams as a deterrent that may have influenced Messi's decision against moving to England is quite amusing to consider.