Jose Mourinho reportedly convinced Lionel Messi to sign for Chelsea in 2014, but the deal did not happen after a Premier League player ‘stopped’ the transfer despite personal terms being ‘agreed’.
At the time, Mourinho, 62, was in his second stint as Chelsea head coach, having won two Premier League titles in his previous tenure.
The west London club were ready to “activate” a reported release clause of €250m in Messi’s contract according to Sky Sports, and even pay the then-Barcelona forward £50m per season for his efforts.
In his 2014 book, Grand Hotel Calciomercato, journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claimed that a video call between Mourinho and Messi persuaded the Argentinian to consider signing for Chelsea.
The book suggested that Messi’s admiration for Mourinho and the “charm” of London made the move a tempting proposition. A lunch date involving the pair was scheduled.
In typical Mourinho fashion, he tried to charm Messi and even admitted that “they’ll build you a statue” in Barcelona despite his attempt to persuade the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner to make the switch.
Mourinho supposedly told Messi: “If one morning you wake up, you have your breakfast at the training ground but the coffee doesn’t taste the same, the sky suddenly turns grey, you don’t like your car anymore, you feel sad on your way home, you’re not happy, your family is not happy, well, in that dark and gloomy moment of your life… then yes, you will have to open the gate of happiness again. And behind that gate, you will find me, Jose Mourinho, waiting for you!”
Lionel Messi in action against Chelsea (Credit:Getty)
By July 2014, Chelsea were reportedly preparing an offer, and even the Blues’ new signing Cesc Fabregas could hardly contain his excitement at the thought of Messi playing at Stamford Bridge.
However, a big sticking point was Leo’s father Jorge, who was unaware of the talks. Fabregas ‘informed’ Deco – an agent at the time and now Barcelona’s sporting director – and the Portuguese told Messi’s father of the talks to his surprise, causing Jorge to ask Leo for an explanation.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I swear,” Messi supposedly explained.
And that was it, Messi stayed at Barcelona until he left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 before transferring to Inter Miami – where he plays now – in 2023.
