Lionel Messi could’ve pulled on a Spain shirt instead of becoming Argentina’s greatest-ever icon, former national team boss Jose Pekerman has sensationally revealed. The ex Argentina coach says Messi, then just 18 and barely known outside Barcelona, was “one signature away” from representing Spain at youth level in a move that would’ve locked him in for La Roja.
Pekerman, speaking at the Ole Summit 2025, recalled how Spain attempted to secure Messi’s allegiance shortly after he moved to La Masia. At the time, the Spanish FA believed the Barcelona youngster would be open to representing his adopted country rather than returning to the national setup he left as a boy in Rosario.
Messi, now a World Cup, Copa América, Olympic and U20 champion with Argentina, could have been lining up alongside the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Fernando Torres and David Villa instead. And according to Pekerman, Spain were preparing the paperwork to register Messi for their squad at the Under 20 World Cup until Argentina intervened.
“We Almost Lost Him” Pekerman
“We had gathered intelligence on Messi from an Under 17 tournament in Finland, where he had represented Spain,” Pekerman explained. “The Spanish coaching staff explicitly said that had they possessed his talent, they would have won the tournament.”
Pekerman claims the threat was real enough that Argentina had to act quickly.
“He was already called up for Spain and all the documents were ready for him to play in the U20 World Cup. We knew that if he played, there would be no way back. He was destined to be a transformative figure for Argentina, and we couldn’t allow it to slip.”
According to Pekerman, he immediately contacted U20 coach Hugo Tocalli, urging him to take decisive administrative action rather than wait for a major competition to cap Messi.
The Clever Loophole That Saved Messi for Argentina
Rather than storming ahead with a full call-up at a major event, Pekerman devised a subtler move.
“I told Tocalli that if it wasn’t strictly necessary, just get him into a friendly match, sign the sheet and send it to FIFA,” he revealed.
Under the FIFA rules at the time, appearing for one country’s youth team even in a non competitive match meant the player could not switch national teams later.
“It sounds bizarre now, but that single paper, that signature, stopped Spain from taking Messi,” Pekerman added. “Spain was ready, everything was prepared. The intervention was urgent.”
Messi eventually starred for Argentina at the 2005 U20 World Cup, winning the tournament and finishing as both top scorer and best player. The rest, as they say, is football history.
A Sliding Doors Moment in Football History
Had Spain succeeded, the global football landscape might look completely different. Messi could’ve played three World Cups alongside the golden generation that won Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012 possibly strengthening an already dominant side.
Argentina, meanwhile, might have spent another generation searching for their Maradona successor.
Instead, Messi led Argentina to:
2022 World Cup
2021 Copa América
2008 Olympic Gold
2005 U20 World Cup
He is widely regarded not just as Argentina’s greatest player, but perhaps the greatest of all time.
From Barcelona Prodigy to Albiceleste Legend
Despite spending much of his early life in Spain and holding Spanish citizenship, Messi has repeatedly said he never considered switching allegiance once Argentina made their commitment.
His emotional connection to his homeland became even more evident during the triumphant run in Qatar, where he finally lifted the World Cup after years of heartbreak.
Yet, as Pekerman’s story reveals, it all depended on one rushed decision, one team sheet, one signature.
Football history really is written on fine margins.