What if: Lionel Messi had signed for Real Madrid?

“What if” – that eternal queston that dogs the curious mind. While that is applicable for so many of us in our daily lives – what if I had yes to that guy/girl, what if I had been born in a Rolls Royce, what if you were Leonidas’ army general, what if... you get the picture

This ‘what if’ has got to be up there with the best of them – “What if Lionel Messi had signed for Real Madrid”. It’s not like Madrid don’t have history of hijacking deals between Barcelona and Real Madrid – just ask Alfredo di Stefano if you don’t believe me – and if they didn’t keep tissues in that restaurant in Catalonia (Messi’s first contract with Barcelona was famously signed on a tissue) , or Messi Sr. didn’t like the terms of the deal offered by the Catalans, you can rest assured that Real Madrid would have swooped in.

The following points are all based on the hypothesis that Real Madrid would have had Lionel Messi in their ranks.

Hypothesis – a proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth.

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5. Cristiano Ronaldo could have played for Barcelona

In 2009, before Cristiano Ronaldo made that massive, cash-splurging, global-event of a move to the Santiago Bernebeu, Sir Alex Ferguson had reportedly contacted Barcelona in order to convince the Catalans that they should make a move for the Portuguese. This was because Real Madrid had peeved off the not-so-hard-to-peeve-off Scotsman with their constant attempts at destabilising the Portuguese superstar.

Barca, at the height of their Pep-led, tiki-taka, all conquering powers of course said no... but would they have done that if Lionel Messi was not at the Camp Nou? They would have needed a talisman to fight what would surely have been a potent Messi-Madrid combination, and lets all be honest, there’s no one else on the planet who can stand toe-to-toe with that little Giant is there?

4. Barcelona would have been less successful; domestically and in Europe

8 La Liga titles, 4 Copa del Rey crowns, 4 Champions League trophies... just how much of those would Barcelona have won without Lionel Messi doing his thing for the blaugrana? Barcelona is the epitome of modern footballing success, and despite them having had a number of superstars in this period, including Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Xavi and the incomparable Andres Iniesta, the spine of that was Leo Messi.

Apart from the first two seasons, when a 17 year old Messi was setling in, he has been crucial for Barca. And the number of goals he has scored in seasons 5 to 12 validate this – 38, 47, 53, 73(!!), 60, 41, 58 and 41. This season it’s already 30 and counting.

On a side note – He really is more machine than man isn’t he? WHAT ARE THOSE NUMBERS!

Barcelona’s success, while driven by the ethos of team-spirit and pass-the-ball-better than anyone else is, has been built on those Messi numbers and this leads to another point that has as much influence on the wider footballing world –

3. Barcelona’s trademark tiki-taka would not have taken off the way it did

‘The beautiful game’, ‘The way the game is supposed to be played’, ‘This is football’ – if you have ever heard a football ‘purist’ talk about Barcelona, you’ve heard these terms of praise being thrown about with gay abandon. And for good reason.

For nigh on a decade Barcelona’s way of playing, known colloquially as tiki-taka, has been held as the high form of playing football – and for good reason, it’s beautiful to watch, the metronomic passing setting up a hypnotic rhythm. But imagine Barcelona doing it without Messi at the sharp end of it. Yeah – boring, boring Spain is what you tend to end up with. For without an element of magic spicing it up, tiki-taka is just the most aesthetic form of defensive football

On a related note, would the cult of Pep Guardiola ever have risen without Messi by his side?

Messi’s background of having learned most of his football at La Masia has helped him seamlessly fit into the taka-way too... no one else would really have been as brilliant, especially in that false nine role where he scored a ‘gazillion’ goals.

Leo Messi’s style of play itself would have been different – without the emphasis laid on passing at La Masia, he would have been a lot more direct player, more in the Diego Maradona mode and dare I say it, a touch more ‘selfish’

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have become pivotal for Barcelona

”You don’t buy a Ferrari, and drive it like a Fiat”, was Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s famous dismissal of the he was treated at Barcelona. A headline signing for the Catalans, as they bid to fight commercially as well on the pitch with Real Madrid, the Swedish genius was never plan A for Pep Guardiola.

‘Cos plan A was, and is always, Lionel Andres Messi

Thrown on more to change things up when Guardiola felt the need for it, Zlatan grew disillusioned at the prospect of playing second fiddle to anybody – even the best player on the planet, and he said goodbye to Spain and set about building an empire in France with oil-rich Paris Saint Germain. Imagine if Messi was not there though.

Along with Ronaldo and Messi, Zlatan makes up the top 3 footballers of the last decade (or so) and without either of them to take away his glory at Barcelona, he would have revelled... and become pivotal for Barcelona. This would have also enabled him to seriously challenge Messi and Ronaldo for the tag of World’s Best Footballer, and for that wonderful trophy of FIFA Ballon d’Or

1. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi together?

*deep breaths*

Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the same side of a football pitch for game-after-game. OH! MY!

While there are a number of reasons why this may not have worked out well – Umeed Kumar Dey has covered that already in this rather nice read – but what’s there to stop us dreaming, eh?

For those of you wondering if Messi’s presence alone would have deterred Perez from pursuing Ronaldo, you don’t really know the construction magnate. If he could have build a strike force with Ronaldo and Messi, he would have made sure it happened!

Messi and Ronaldo would have torn up the wings on either side and building a team around them would have been any managers dream come true. These days – when Madrid play you outnumber Ronaldo, when Barcelona play you outnumber Messi. How do you outnumber both of them AT THE SAME TIME?

Well, one thing’s for sure, it wouldn’t have affected Ronaldo’s confidence

“It would be interesting to see both of us in the same team,” Ronaldo said after being asked how the award would split if they played together. “I think great players should play together. So if we were in the same team, I think I would have more than him, but he wouldn't be far off.”