"Against my will, they put me next to Messi" - When Dani Olmo claimed he was forced to take a photo next to Lionel Messi

Barcelona star Dani Olmo once recalled being forced to take a photo with Argentine legend Lionel Messi. The Spaniard explained that, in hindsight, he's glad he got the opportunity to share the frame with a legend.

Much like Messi, Olmo began his career at Barcelona's famed academy, La Masia. He joined the youth academy in 2007, three years after Messi made his first-team debut at the club. The Spaniard spent seven years at La Masia before moving to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb and eventually to RB Leipzig. However, he returned to sign for Barcelona in the summer of 2024 for a reported €62 million fee.

In a 2021 interview with The Players Tribune, the 26-year-old recalled how he was forced to take a picture with Lionel Messi as a child. The incident took place when he was eight years old and before joining La Masia. Olmo explained that he had accompanied his father while he was managing a game at Castelldefels. Messi was also at the place to see one of his friends playing.

Olmo said (via GOAL):

"I think it was a friend of my dad’s — came over and told me, ‘Hey, Dani, come here! You’re not going to believe this. You’re going to have your picture taken with Lionel Messi!'" Wow, Messi, right? What kid wouldn’t want their picture with him? Well, me! I was like, ‘No, thanks. I’m good. I want to keep playing!’

The Spaniard continued:

"But, against my will, they stuck me next to Messi and took the picture. I didn’t even say anything to him. I just waited for the click and then I went back to my ball like I was doing him a favor."

In hindsight, Dani Olmo added that he is glad that he was forced as a child to take a picture with Messi.

“In the end, I have to say I’m glad they forced me because I’ve still got that picture framed at home. At the time though, I wasn’t happy to have my valuable playing time interrupted — even by an icon," Olmo explained.

It is understood that at the time of the incident, Lionel Messi was still a rising star at Barcelona. The legendary Argentine went on to become the greatest Blaugrana player of all time, winning a club record 35 trophies with his boyhood side. He has scored a whopping 672 goals and has 303 assists in 778 appearances for the club.

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"It hurts" - Lionel Messi's words on Barcelona president Joan Laporta resurface amid Dani Olmo registration saga

Lionel Messi of Barcelona Press Conference - Source: Getty

In a 2021 interview with SPORT, Lionel Messi once claimed Barcelona president Joan Laporta's words hurt him during his controversial departure from his boyhood side. He was asked about Laporta saying that he expected Messi to play for free for Barcelona due to the club's economic woes.

"I did everything possible to stay. Never at any moment did they ask me to play for free. They asked me to reduce my salary by 50 percent and I did it without any problem. The president's words were inappropriate. It hurts because I don't think there was any need to say that," Messi said.

The Argentine superstar was forced to leave the Catalan club after they failed to renew and register his contract owing to their financial situation and LaLiga's Financial Fair Play rules. His comments about Laporta have once again come to light due to the club's difficult situation in registering Dani Olmo.

After Olmo's arrival in August 2024, he was provisionally registered for six months. Barcelona were given a deadline of December 31 to re-register him alongside teammate Pau Victor. However, the Catalans have failed to secure Dani Olmo's registration with LaLiga rejecting their appeal on deadline day.

More clarity about the Spaniard's situation is yet to come but the Spaniard is reportedly free to leave as a free agent in the winter transfer window.