Barcelona legends Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola could have joined Getafe, president reveals

Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi could have both ended up in Madrid
AFP via Getty Images
Ben Hayward20 May 2020

Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola made history together at Barcelona, but Getafe president Angel Torres has revealed the pair could have ended up at the Madrid-based club.

Under Guardiola, Messi took his game to new levels and the two men helped the Catalan club to win 14 trophies out of a possible 19 between 2008 and 2012 – including a historic sextet in 2009.

But in the Argentine's early years, Barca considered sending out the talented winger on loan.

"In Messi's first or second year, we had it virtually done for him to come to Getafe on loan," Torres told Marca. "In the end, [coach Frank] Rijkaard didn't accept and we were left disappointed."

In 2006-07, Messi scored against Getafe what is still considered by many to be his best goal, when he ran from the halfway line to net an astonishing effort which was reminiscent of Diego Maradona's World Cup goal versus England in 1986.

Barca went on to lose that Copa del Rey tie and after another poor season in 2007-08, Rijkaard was replaced with Guardiola, but Torres claims things were almost different.

"One day, we were at a European draw in Switzerland," he said. "Txiki [Begiristain, Barca's technical secretary at the time] and I, and the idea was that [Michael] Laudrup (Getafe boss at the time) would coach Barcelona and we would have Guardiola as his substitute.

"Because [Barca president Joan] Laporta wasn't at all convinced about signing Pep at first."

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