Real 'wanted to break transfer record for Lionel Messi'
Lionel Messi is a symbol of Barcelona and as far as many are concerned always has been, however things could have been very different for the Argentine.
German football magazine 'Der Spiegel' reports that the diminutive forward was wanted by Barca's arch-rivals Real Madrid back in 2013, with 'Los Blancos' prepared to pay the player's €250m release clause in order to make a deal happen.
The report claims that Messi's family lawyer, Inigo Juarez, informed the Barca star of the interest in him, with Real thought to have been prepared to offer Messi an eight-year contract that would have seen him become the highest-paid player in world football.
The deal was thought to be worth £20m per year, or £384,000 per week, with the player's father Jorge also expected to make £900,000 from the move.
In the end, Messi stayed put and Real moved on to Gareth Bale instead, with the Welshman moving to the Bernabeu from Tottenham for £86m that same summer.
Messi's decision to stay was more than justified as he went on to claim the La Liga title in 2015 and 2016 as well as the Champions League in 2015.