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Former Real Madrid board member Jeronimo Farre once confirmed that the club tried to sign Lionel Messi on several occasions. Messi joined Los Blancos' rivals Barcelona as a 13-year-old and remained in Catalonia for the next 20 years.
Speaking with El Mundo back in 2019, Farre said (via BeSoccer):
"Florentino Pérez, in the world of football, tried to repeat the Bernabéu model, which was based on having the best players in the world. If Messi has not played in Madrid, it is because we could not bring him here. As he is such a good player, his signing has been neither feasible nor affordable. The other superstar at the time was Cristiano Ronaldo and we have enjoyed his talent for nine seasons."
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Lionel Messi joined Barcelona from boyhood club Newell's Old Boys in 2000. The Argentine icon rose through the club's ranks to become their greatest ever player. He spent 17 seasons with La Blaugrana, winning 34 major trophies, including 10 league titles, four UEFA Champions League trophies, and seven Copas del Rey.
Messi also became LaLiga's all time scorer and assists provider with 474 goals and 192 assists in 520 appearances. He left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021 after the club failed to renew his contract due to financial obstacles.
Some big name players who have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona include Luis Figo, Ronaldo Nazario, Alfredo di Stefano, and Luis Enrique.
Lionel Messi's record against Real Madrid
Lionel Messi has faced Real Madrid 47 times in his career (45 times for Barcelona and twice during his stint at PSG). He has won 20 of his meetings against Los Blancos, lost 16, while 11 have ended in draws.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is the player with the most goals against Real Madrid with 26 strikes. His most notable performance against the Madrid-based club came in a 2007 league El Clasico where he scored a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou.
Messi repeated the feat in 2014, during a 4-3 league win at the Santiago Bernabeu, becoming the first and only player to date to register two hat-tricks in the El Clasico.
