The multimillion-dollar offer that Inter made to Messi and that the Argentine rejected without even knowing the details

Long before Lionel Messi left Barcelona and began a new chapter in football outside of Europe, he had already decided how he envisioned the end of his career. Even when he was just 25 years old and going through one of the best moments of his career, the Argentine rejected a colossal offer from Inter Milan because his desire remained tied to the Catalan club.

The story was revealed by Massimo Moratti, the historic president of the Italian club, who recalled an attempt to sign Messi that occurred in 2012, the same year Messi scored the astronomical total of 91 goals in a single calendar year. The former executive explained that at that time he made a decision of enormous magnitude to try to secure the Barcelona star. "I made an offer to Messi for 500 million euros. At that time, that amount was crazy. I sent my vice president to Barcelona to negotiate," Moratti recounted in an interview with the Spanish media Sport.

However, the proposal never even made it to the table for the Rosario native. "He didn't even open the letter or get to know the offer. He rejected it without knowing the details and considered himself a player who would not be sold to any team throughout his career," he revealed.

Moratti also recalled that he managed to communicate personally with Messi and received a response that reflected how important Barcelona was to the player. "I appreciate your interest in me, but I want to retire at Barcelona," the then forward of the Catalan team replied. "He wants to stay in Barcelona. I knew how the situation was, but I tried to maybe tempt him with money, and it didn't work," he admitted.

The revelation takes on another dimension when looking at what ultimately happened. Messi maintained for years his intention to stay with the team where he had developed as a footballer, but various institutional and economic problems ultimately led to his departure from Barcelona in 2021.

After two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, the forward chose to continue his career at Inter Miami. In the United States, he found the stage where he is currently developing the final stretch of his career. His contract with the MLS franchise extends until the end of the season 2028