The historic slap against Bayern will definitely have marked a turning point in the history of Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona. If he left the club freely a year later, the Argentinian could well have packed his bags after the Final 8 in 2020. This is in any case what the journalist Martí Perarnau explains in his book “God save Pep”, a work reviewing the exceptional career of the Spanish technician. A chapter entitled “I just want to leave” also describes behind the scenes of the days following the 8-2 at Barça. In his book, Perarnau explains that Messi would have sent a burofax to demand his departure from his management, and a Whats App message to Sergio Aguero in which it was discussed the situation of Pep Guardiola and the possibility, or not, of him join the Skyblues.
Having just been eliminated by OL in C1, the Spaniard received Messi at his home a few days later to discuss the subject. Feeling “deceived and betrayed” by his management, Pulga would have spoken for several hours with his mentor, necessarily open to the idea of collaborating again with his former player. The end is a delicious dialogue reported by Martí Perarnau. “In Manchester we train very hard… And I continue to do long tactical interviews. Maybe you’ll get bored.”, would have launched Guardiola. To which Messi would have responded: “I’m going to train hard, I’m not worried about that. I will hold on. I will put up with whatever you do.” In a humorous tone, the tactician then replied: “Leo, we have grown old. Maybe we can’t stand each other anymore…” Ultimately, the operation never took place due to Messi’s release clause estimated at €750 million at the time.
