“I deeply regret that episode” – When Lionel Messi admitted to disappointment of missing game against Premier League giants
Lionel Messi regretted missing Barcelona's 2006 UEFA Champions League final against Arsenal, he admitted in 2021. The Argentine did not even go out on the pitch after their win as he was disappointed to miss the game due to a torn muscle.
The Catalan giants registered a 2-1 win over the Gunners, with Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti scoring late in the game to help them register a comeback win. Arsenal had taken the lead through Sol Campbell in the first half but couldn't hold on to it.
Speaking to AS in 2021, Messi admitted that he regrets not going out to celebrate his first-ever Champions League title. He said:
“I'm sorry I didn't [go out]. I didn't realise what was happening. At least I would have liked to be on the bench that night. Until my injury, [against Chelsea in the round of 16], I participated in every Champions League game in my career. I was disappointed. I deeply regret that episode. We won that Champions League and I was not sure what would happen again because it is a difficult competition to win.”
Lionel Messi went on to face Arsenal six times in the Champions League later in his career. He finished on the winning side four times and scored nine goals in those games.
Arsenal wanted to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed that he tried to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona. He claimed that the Gunners discussed a deal to sign Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas and the Argentine from the Spanish giants.
However, only a deal for Fabregas went through. He said (via GOAL):
"I refused nothing. I think in the end, he was not so keen to move, because it was at a period where Fabregas came and Fabregas and Messi played together in the same team. We wanted to take Fabregas, Messi and Pique. It worked only for Fabregas. It was not completely down to a flat in the end. It was down to the fact that in the end Messi was comfortable at Barcelona."
Lionel Messi was also reportedly close to joining Arsenal's rivals Chelsea in 2014. Journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claimed that the Blues were ready to pay £225 million to sign the Argentine, who changed his mind at the end despite one-on-one calls with then-manager Jose Mourinho.