There was a time when Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola appeared to be on the verge of reuniting, but when Paris Saint-Germain takes on Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday, they will be on opposite sides once more.
Perhaps things might have turned out differently if it hadn’t been for Jack Grealish.
On August 5, City announced the £100 million ($139 million) purchase of Grealish from Aston Villa, the same day Barcelona announced Messi’s departure from the Camp Nou.
When Messi attempted to force his exit from Catalonia a year ago, City appeared to be the most likely destination.
Barcelona eventually stopped the six-time Ballon d’Or winner from leaving at the time, and 12 months later, Messi was willing to stay until it became evident that he couldn’t because of the Camp Nou’s financial problems.
City might have moved for Messi if they had known he would become available. Instead, they concentrated their efforts on Grealish, attempting to sign Harry Kane, a transfer that finally fell through.
When asked if City may make a play for Messi, Guardiola answered, “Right now it is not in our thoughts.”
The fact that PSG was the only other plausible option for the 34-year-old, whom Guardiola has dubbed “the greatest player of all time,” says a lot about the current game.
Messi has yet to score in three appearances for his new team. With a knee ailment, he has missed PSG’s previous two matches, but it appears that Mauricio Pochettino has been sparing him for City.
Messi scored a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 4-0 victory at Camp Nou, and then put his team ahead in Manchester, but City prevailed 3-1.
Both City and PSG are expected to progress from their groups this time, and both men are anxious to win the Champions League again – Messi’s last triumph came in 2015, while Guardiola hasn’t won the cup since Messi spurred Barcelona to a 3-1 win over Manchester United in the 2011 final.
