"They saw me as part of a front three with Messi and David Villa" - Former Italy star claims he was offered chance to join Barcelona
Former Italy star Giuseppe Rossi has claimed that he was once offered the chance to join Lionel Messi at Barcelona in his career. He was considered as an option to complement the Argentine and David Villa to form a strong attacking trio at the club.
Giuseppe Rossi was considered among the brightest Italian strikers of his generation and scored seven times in 30 caps for the national team. At the club level, Rossi played for Manchester United, Villarreal, Fiorentina, and Celta Vigo, among others. However, despite being promising, frequent knee injuries heavily hampered his career, and he was unable to reach his full potential. Rossi retired from professional football in July 2023.
In an interview with Radio TV Serie A, Giuseppe Rossi claimed that he was once wanted by Barcelona under Pep Guardiola's tutelage while at Villarreal. He said (via football-italia):
"Guardiola’s Barcelona wanted me; of course, Leo Messi was a key figure. They said every player who joined Barcelona had to be approved by him, but I don’t know if that was true. I know that they saw me as part of a front three with Messi and David Villa, which tells you what kind of season I had [2010-11]."
Rossi added that the deal finally did not go through and said:
"The deal didn’t go through because Villarreal wanted more guaranteed money rather than bonuses. Everything fell apart. I could have played for one of the strongest teams in football’s history."
Pep Guardiola's Barcelona is often considered one of the greatest sides in football history. The Catalan manager led the side to 14 titles, including two UEFA Champions League trophies and three LaLiga titles, among others.
During Guardiola's last two seasons at Barca, the club's front three often featured David Villa, Lionel Messi, and Pedro. The trio is still considered among the best attacking trios in football history.
When Barcelona legend Lionel Messi claimed Pep Guardiola did football "a lot of harm" by making it look easy
In a 2022 interview with Moviestar Plus+, Lionel Messi jokingly claimed that his former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola harmed football as he made it look easy. He said (via ESPN):
"Guardiola did football a lot of harm because he made it look so easy and so simple that everyone wanted to copy him. Later I found many 'Guardiolas' out there and you realise what we did and what that was."
Pep Guardiola's decision to play the legendary Argentine as a false nine during his time at Camp Nou is often considered one of the greatest tactical moves in football. La Pulga reached his peak under the Catalan manager and they together won the treble in the 2008-09 season.
Under Guardiola, the La Albiceleste captain scored 211 goals and delivered 94 assists in 219 outings for Barca across competitions between 2008 and 2012. The legendary manager left the Catalan side in 2012, while the Argentine eventually left his boyhood side in 2021.
