Lionel Messi has climbed to the top of Argentina’s soccer history alongside Diego Maradona, despite leaving his home country at a young age. With Spain once a real option for his international future, a former Messi coach has now revealed how Argentina ultimately “stole” the now-legendary star from La Roja.
A product of Newell’s Old Boys, Messi’s career took a decisive turn when FC Barcelona offered to cover the medical treatment he needed for his growth issues, leading him to move to Spain at age 13. Once in Europe, the young forward began appearing for Spain’s youth teams instead of Argentina, until the South American federation made its move.
Speaking at the Olé Summit, former Argentina coach José Pékerman detailed how the federation ensured Messi chose the Albiceleste over Spain: “In Spain, we already had some background information on Leo Messi from an Under-17 tournament in Finland that he had played with Spain. The people on the Spanish coaching staff told us that if they had had that ‘kid,’ they would have won it… I told (Hugo) Tocalli (Argentina’s U-20 team head coach) that I was blown away, that he was the player of the future. I couldn’t be wrong — he was the next great Argentine talent, a blessing.“
At that point, the paperwork for Messi to play for Spain at the U-20 World Cup was already underway, meaning Argentina had to act fast. Under FIFA rules at the time, if a player appeared for one nation’s youth team, he was effectively blocked from switching to another.
Lionel Messi of Argentina in 2006 World Cup.
With Argentina’s youth squad already set, the staff had to improvise to secure Messi. “Tocalli told me he already had the squad set… that he couldn’t believe I was telling him about a new kid now. I told him I didn’t want him to play unless necessary, just to play a friendly, sign the match sheet, and send it to FIFA. And that was it — Spain, never again. I spoke with the president, explained everything, said the kid wanted to come, and that we had to send the call-up to Barcelona,” Pekerman stated.
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Pékerman then worked with AFA president Julio Grondona to organize a match at Argentinos Juniors’ stadium, the same place where Diego Maradona rose to fame. On June 28, 2004, Argentina’s U-20 team faced Paraguay in a friendly that ended in an 8–0 win for the Albiceleste, but more importantly, officially locked Messi in as an Argentina player.
Messi chasing more records with Argentina in 2026
Pékerman later entrusted the Barcelona prodigy with a spot on Argentina’s 2006 World Cup roster when Messi was just 18 years old. Now 38, the Inter Miami star continues to push boundaries and is set to break even more records with the national team.
With 196 caps, Messi currently shares second place for the most international appearances in history with Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo’s 226 for Portugal. One more game, possibly the Finalissima against Spain, would give him sole possession of second place.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, Messi could become the first player ever to appear in six editions of the tournament. Ronaldo and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa are also in contention to reach the milestone, but Messi would be the first Argentine to do so.
