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WHAT HAPPENED?
Questions of whether eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi could “do it on a cold and windy night in Stoke” have been asked throughout his stunning career. The South American has never delivered a definitive answer to that poser.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
His reputation as an all-time great was forged at Barcelona, before leaving Camp Nou for two years at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Messi is now on the books of MLS outfit Inter Miami – where he continues to star at the FIFA Club World Cup.
WHAT GOLDSTEIN SAID?
A move to England appears to have passed him by, as he prepares to turn 38, but Arsenal are being told that he could still do a job for them at Emirates Stadium. talkSPORT host Andy Goldstein has said: “You know what, I think if he plays up top for Arsenal, he wins them the Premier League. I genuinely do. If you’ve got Messi scoring goals, I think he wins them [the title].
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“Where’s their weakness, Arsenal? It’s probably the lack of a No.9. Kai Havertz isn’t the answer. I know he’s not [a No.9]. But he could still do that job. I think if Messi went to Arsenal, they’d win the Premier League.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Jason Cundy went on to say of Messi passing up chances to test himself in the Premier League, with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City being linked with ambitious approaches at various intervals: “I’m going off-piste a little bit. When he went to PSG, I was so done with that decision. It was so boring. City were in for him. I believe Chelsea were in for him. Other teams.
“Imagine if he’d come to the Premier League. Imagine what that would have been like. He went to PSG. I mean, talk about bore off. I reckon, looking back now, if you asked him if he could make another decision where he would have gone, I think he would have chosen somewhere different.”
WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?
Messi has offered no indication that he regrets snubbing interest from the Premier League, with his focus now locked on making more history with Inter Miami before taking in a World Cup title defence with Argentina in 2026.
