Gaggioli reveals how Leo Messi could have been a Real Madrid player
His first agent says he almost ended up sorting out Messi's trial with Madrid
Messi landed in Barcelona in Septmber 2000 for a trial with the Catalan club
Leo Messi turns 30 on Saturday, a reason for Globoesporte to look back on his beginnings in Argentina. In doing so, they revealed a curious moment in the Barcelona star's young career by speaking to his first agent Horacio Gaggioli.
"Due to life circumstances, I went to live in Barcelona and I brought him to Barça for a trial. But I was about to live in Madrid," Gaggioli revealed to Globoesporte. "If that had happened, I would have taken him to Madrid for a trial. That's life, those are the details. Today, Messi could have been a Real Madrid player, of course. The family wanted to come to Spain, to the city where I was to have some support."
If Gaggioli, also from Rosario, had decided to reside in Madrid, instead of Barcelona, maybe Mess would have ended up at Real, a hypothesis Gaggioli says is very possible because the player's family didn't travel from Argentina with any trials fixed with any club.
The real story, however, is well known: Messi had a trial with Barcelona and sign for the club, despite the reluctance of some to do a deal. His first contract was famously signed on napkin on Dec. 14, 200.
DIFFERENT PATHS
Messi and Gaggioli worked together for five years, until their paths went in different directions. They don't have much of a relationship anymore. And Gaggioli laments the fact that Barça have never recognised the fact he presented them with one of the best players in their history.
"For my partners in Argentina and for me, consdidering we were the ones who delivered one of the best in the world to Barça, the acknowledgement on their part was not very good," he said.
