Lionel Messi was 'charmed by Man Utd' for one reason Man City couldn't match
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Lionel Messi was more fond of the history of Manchester United rather than the millions at Manchester City. Messi, 37, is currently strutting his stuff for Inter Miami, having been convinced to move to Florida by club owner and United legend David Beckham. The ex-England captain's former club may have wished he was still at Old Trafford to sway Messi to United.
On many occasions, there were rumours that Messi was intrigued by the idea of moving to the Premier League. Due to their huge financial power, the likes of City and Chelsea were the ones linked with his signature the vast majority of the time. Had United made a significant effort to bring Messi to Old Trafford, they could have been successful, as the World Cup winner was reportedly fond of the club.
According to the Athletic, Messi was reportedly "more charmed” by "historic English clubs such as Manchester United". It was not the only time Messi was briefly linked with the red side of Manchester. When he was 20 years old, Sir Alex Ferguson was believed to have been interested in a move for Messi. Not long after the interest was made known, Messi told FourFourTwo magazine: "I’m happy in Barcelona. Why wouldn't I be? I’ve realised my dream. It's the best club in the world with the best players. My family are happy here; they like it.”.
Messi would go on to cut United down in not one but two Champions League finals. The small and nimble forward scored a towering header in the 2009 final in Rome, before going on to drive a low, 20-yard finish past Edwin van der Sar at Wembley Stadium two years later.