Former Real Madrid officials have disclosed that the club received an offer to sign Lionel Messi in 2001, but declined the opportunity to avoid damaging relations with Barcelona.
The revelation comes from Madrid Universal, which reports that Real Madrid's leadership at the time chose not to pursue the Argentine prodigy, who was then emerging through Barcelona's youth system.
Messi, who would go on to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer and win numerous titles with the Catalan club, was reportedly available for transfer early in his career. However, Real Madrid opted against the move to maintain diplomatic ties with their historic rivals.
