Pekerman reveals the plot that prevented Messi from playing for Spain: "He had the papers to go"

Jose Pekerman, three-time U20 World Cup winner with Argentina and senior coach of the Albiceleste from 2004 to 2006, recalled at the Ole Summit 2025 at the Usina del Arte his ruse to prevent Leo Messi from ending up playing for the Spanish national team.

Since the papers were already in place for him to play in the U20 World Cup for Spain, we had to hurry

Jose Pekerman

On June 29, 2004, Pekerman (74 years old) organised a friendly match to shield Messi and prevent him from playing for Spain.

He just had to play a friendly, sign the form and send it to FIFA. And that's it, Spain never again.

Jose Pekerman

"In Spain, we had background on Leo Messi, from an Under-17 tournament in Finland that he had played with Spain. The people from the Spanish coaching staff told us that if we had had that 'kid', we would have won it," he told Hernan Claus.

Pekerman explained that "I told Tocalli that I was shocked, that he was the player of the future. I could not be wrong, he was the new appearance of Argentine soccer, a blessing. But as the papers were already in place for him to play in the U-20 World Cup for Spain, which would have blocked him, we had to hurry."

"Tocalli told me that he had the team ready for the U-20 South American Championship, which started in a month. 'How can you tell me that there is a boy now?' I told him that I didn't want him to play if it wasn't necessary, just to play a friendly, to sign the form and send it to FIFA. And that's it, Spain never again. I spoke to the president, I told him, I said that I wanted to come, we had to send the call to Barcelona," he said.

"The papers were ready for Messi to go to the U-20 World Cup with Spain. Then the operation began."

The key to the operation was that "we were under the FIFA rule that if a player played for a youth team, he could not play for another national team. The papers were in place for Messi, who was 18, to go to the U20 World Cup with Spain. Then the operation started."

Pekerman stressed that "I told Don Julio (Grondona) to look for any rival, that Tocalli was aware, but with one condition: that the match was in Argentinos. If Diego had played there...".

The friendly was played, Lionel Messi donned the Albiceleste shirt and Argentina won 8-0 against Paraguay. A match in which Spain came out on the losing end.

The rest is history... of Argentina. Leo Messi has been capped 196 times (115 goals) by the Albiceleste, with whom he won the 2022 World Cup.