Spain tried every way to persuade Messi to play for them

Ginés Meléndez, the former coordinator of Spain's youth teams, has recalled the efforts to recruit Messi when he was developing at Barcelona's academy. The federation approached the situation through several channels, including people who knew the young forward, but could not change his mind.

Meléndez first saw Messi when he was 12 at Barcelona and was immediately struck by his ability.

“He seemed like something out of a cartoon. He would take the ball and go from one goal to the other, dribbling past everyone,” he recalled on Radioestadio Noche.

The young Argentine's talent was already apparent, prompting Spain to consider whether he could be persuaded to join its youth international teams. Meléndez said he was explicitly told that convincing Messi to play for Spain was a priority.

“They told me we had to convince Messi to play for Spain, and we tried in every possible way,” he said.

The attempts included using Messi's teammates to help persuade him. Meléndez also remembered trying to take the youngster to an under-15 tournament in England, but the invitation did not alter his position.

“Messi was reluctant to play for us. He always stood firm; he wanted to play for Argentina,” Meléndez said.

The former youth-team coordinator's account underlines how Spain recognised Messi's potential before he established himself as one of the world's leading players. Yet his international allegiance was not something he was prepared to reconsider.

Argentina eventually contacted Messi's family in 2005, when he was 17. His father, Jorge Messi, welcomed the approach as the opportunity the family had been waiting for, and the forward went on to represent the Albiceleste.

Meléndez also claimed that he helped ensure Argentina knew about the young player's ability.

“Argentina knows Messi exists and how good he was because I told them,” he said.

The story has resurfaced as the former Spanish youth coach reflects on a recruitment attempt that could have changed international football history. Meléndez recalled a conversation with Vicente del Bosque, the former Spain coach, who later joked about what might have happened had the effort succeeded.

“One day Vicente del Bosque told me, ‘My goodness, if you had convinced Messi as a child, we would have won a few more World Cups’,” Meléndez recalled.

Spain's efforts ultimately failed, and Messi's decision to represent Argentina became central to a career that brought him the country's greatest international honours.