Spain coach Luis de la Fuente names Lionel Messi as dream signing, but chooses another Barcelona icon as GOAT

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has snubbed Lionel Messi and instead picked former Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff as the best player in the history of the game.

The 62-year-old tactician, however, did opt for Messi as one player he would have loved to play for Spain.

Luis de la Fuente was recently asked a few short-form questions by Movistar Futbol (via GOAL). When asked about who he thought was the greatest player in the history of football, De la Fuente had no hesitation in naming Johan Cruyff.

However, when asked whom he wanted to transfer to the Spain national side, the manager jokingly named Lionel Messi.

It is worth mentioning that Messi was in a position to play for Spain instead of Argentina early on in his career.

According to another report from GOAL, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner could have represented Spain through his great grandfather who was born in Balaguer, Spain. Messi had also moved to Barcelona very early in his life, all the way back in 2000.

According to the aforementioned source, the-then Barcelona scout Carles Rexach suggested the Spanish FA to persuade Messi to play for them. Messi, however, always wanted to represent the nation of his birth, Argentina. The Inter Miami superstar said the following in his book "Messi, the Patriot" (via GOAL):

"I was asked informally if I wanted to play for Spain, but I always said that I wanted to play for my national team because I love Argentina and these are the only colours I want to wear. I was always an avid fan of the national team. I watched the games on television because I could never go to the grounds and watch them as a fan."

At the time of writing, the former Barcelona superstar has scored 106 goals from 180 caps for La Albiceleste.

Lionel Messi has also guided his national team to the Copa America title in 2021 and then played a crucial role in helping them win the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

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Lionel Messi will always be remembered in Spain due to his exploits with Barcelona

Despite never representing Spain, Lionel Messi will always be remembered in the Iberian country due to his excellent spell with Barcelona. The star attacker spent 17 seasons in the Blaugrana first-team and broke all kinds of records for the club.

Messi is the record goalscorer and appearance-maker in the history of Barcelona. The Argentina skipper went on to make a total of 778 appearances for the Catalan giants, contributing 672 goals and 303 assists across all competitions. His tally of 474 goals in La Liga is also a record.

Lionel Messi went on to win numerous trophies during his time in Spain. The forward won 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions Leagues and seven Copa Del Rey cups.

Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 at the end of the contract to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free transfer. He spent two seasons in France before moving to Inter Miami in the United States.