Argentina and Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi is arguably Barcelona’s greatest-ever player. His influence as a Blaugrana star extended beyond the soccer pitch during his 21-year stint, and one Brazilian has revealed the attacker’s role in his move to the Catalans.
Brazilian Opens Up on Lionel Messi’s Role in Barcelona Transfer
During an interview, former Barcelona midfielder Paulinho Bezerra said he learned of his transfer to the Blaugrana from Messi during an international friendly.
“Messi approached me (back in June 2017). We were playing a friendly against Argentina in Australia. The referee had whistled for a foul, and I was standing next to the ball. Suddenly, Leo approaches me, looks me in the eyes and says, ‘So, are we going to Barcelona or not?’. Just like that. Without any explanation. He turned around and left,” Paulinho began.
Paulinho also insisted that he was taken aback by the eight-time Ballon d’Or award winner’s comments and had initially thought the Argentine forward was playing a trick on him.
“I didn’t even have time to think. I simply said, ‘If you want to take me, I’ll go.’ I played in China with Guangzhou Evergrande at that time and none would believe that Barcelona were interested. I thought Messi was joking, as if he was trying to manipulate me to mislead me during the game. But it was only a friendly, so I started to doubt it,” he added.
Paulinho concluded, “After the game, I called my agent and said, ‘Boss, for God’s sake, I’m going crazy… tell me if this is real or not!’ I was so desperate I even thought about writing to Neymar to see if he knew something. A month later, my agent called and told me, ‘The deal is closed. You have to come to Barcelona to sign the papers.'”
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Paulinho, a former Tottenham Hotspur and Corinthians ace, moved to the Catalan giants for over $47 million from Guangzhou Evergrande in August 2017. He helped the Blaugrana win the La Liga title and the Copa del Rey trophy during the 2017-18 campaign.
Before being loaned back to Guangzhou Evergrande in the summer of 2018, Paulinho made 49 appearances across competitions for the La Liga side. He found the back of the net nine times and laid out three assists in 2553 minutes of action for his former club.
After relishing a fine 18-year professional career, Paulinho retired in September 2024.
