New Jersey, July 17: As Argentina and Spain prepare to meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, one of football’s greatest “what if” stories has resurfaced — Lionel Messi could have represented Spain instead of the country of his birth.
Messi, who moved from Rosario to Spain at the age of 13 after joining Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, was eligible to pursue Spanish citizenship under the country’s naturalisation laws. His rapid rise through Barcelona’s youth ranks also attracted the attention of the Spanish Football Federation, which made serious attempts to convince him to wear the colours of La Roja.
Despite Spain’s interest, Messi had long made his intentions clear. Even before leaving Argentina, the future eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had repeatedly stated that his dream was to play for his homeland.
However, as Messi flourished in Barcelona, Argentina’s youth selectors were slow to recognise his talent. Former Barcelona youth coach Alex Garcia later revealed that he informed Spain’s youth coaches about Messi’s availability after noticing that Argentina had not called him up.
Spain even explored the possibility of including Messi in its youth setup, with then-under-17 coach Ginés Meléndez reportedly making determined efforts to recruit the gifted teenager.The growing interest from Spain prompted Argentina into action. National team officials arranged for Messi to feature in an Under-20 friendly against Paraguay in 2004, a move that secured his international future under FIFA’s eligibility regulations at the time.The then-17-year-old marked the occasion in style, scoring after coming off the bench in Argentina’s 8-0 victory, effectively ending any hopes Spain had of persuading him to switch allegiance.Reflecting on that period earlier this year, Messi acknowledged there had been a genuine opportunity to represent Spain but insisted his heart had always belonged to Argentina.
“My desire was always to play for Argentina,” Messi said. (Agencies)
