Lionel Messi left Barcelona in 2021 to sign for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer but he was linked with a number of clubs with AC Milan one that expressed an interest.
Former AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini has recalled how he once tried to sign Lionel Messi – and got “scared” when he read rivals Inter were also interested.
Messi completed his entire professional football career at Barcelona before departing in 2021. In 778 games with the La Liga giants, he scored 672 goals and won 35 major titles.
Following weeks of speculation, the Argentina international agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. Messi would end a 17-year career with Barcelona that began at the club’s renowned La Masia facility.
Several clubs were interested in signing Messi before he signed with PSG. Maldini, who previously worked in the AC Milan hierarchy, has now disclosed how the Italian club tried to get Messi to the San Siro.
Maldini played his entire professional career for AC Milan, appearing in 901 games for the Serie A side before retiring in 2009. He rose through the ranks to become the club’s technical director, a post he held until his departure earlier this year.
Maldini discussed how hard he worked to bring Messi to Milan on the PoretCast podcast earlier this week.
“For 10 days we tried to bring Messi to Milan, but then we realized it was impossible,” Maldini stated.
“It’s too late now, but a player like Messi is a sight to behold for anyone.” “I was scared when I read that he might even go to Inter!”
Messi went on to join PSG, where he stayed for two seasons before leaving as a free agent to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. PSG bought Messi in the hopes of forming a new all-star forward line to lead the team to even greater success.
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were already the club’s primary players, but they had yet to win the Champions League in Paris.
PSG moved to sign Messi in a bold attempt to lift the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.
Messi has already won four Champions League titles with Barcelona in his career. The most recent occurred in 2015, when he was a Camp Nou colleague of Neymar’s.
Messi has become one of the most popular players in Major League Soccer since leaving PSG in the summer. He scored 10 goals in seven League Cup outings to help Miami win their first trophy in club history.
Messi scored 11 goals for Miami this season, but his new team failed to make the MLS playoffs. The 36-year-old is anticipated to return to pre-season training in the New Year in preparation for the 2024 MLS season.
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