"I had the chance to play for Spain" – Messi admits he could have changed nationality

Spain was eager to land Messi, but the superstar ultimately pledged his allegiance to Argentina.

Details: In a recent interview, the 38-year-old Inter Miami midfielder from Argentina confessed that at the dawn of his professional career, he had every opportunity to switch football nationality and came close to representing Spain’s national team.

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According to Leo, the representatives of "La Roja" approached him several times, doing everything they could to convince Messi to play for Spain:

"At one point, the Spanish national team reached out to me. They tried to persuade me.

I am Argentine, but I arrived in Barcelona when I was still very young. There was an opportunity to play for Spain, but I always wanted to represent Argentina." – Messi admitted.

Messi made his debut for Argentina on August 17, 2005, in a match against Hungary. Coming on in the 64th minute, Leo was sent off in less than a minute for an aggressive strike to an opponent’s throat.

Despite such a disappointing debut, Messi went on to earn 196 caps for Argentina, scoring 115 goals. His trophy cabinet includes two Copa América titles and the historic 2022 World Cup triumph with Argentina.

Reminder: Messi receives his second World Cup—this time made of LEGO