Former Inter Milan Chief Marco Branca Speaks On Why Messi Snubbed Their Offer In 2008

Former technical director Marco Branca has revealed why Barcelona captain Lionel Messi turned down the opportunity to join Inter Milan in 2008.

Branca revealed that the Italian giants made a move for the Argentine attacker once before, but Messi refused to leave the Catalan giants even after being presented with a more lucrative deal than the one he was on.

‘’We did make a move for him, but Messi refused to leave Barcelona,’’ he told an interview with TMW Radio, reported via Marca.

‘’He was very grateful to Barcelona, and the economic aspect does not always come first. Not everything is about money.’’

Inter’s offer came during the reign of Jose Mourinho, who managed the club for two years between 2008 and 2010 and famously won the Treble of Serie A title, Italian Cup and Champions League in the 2009-10 season.

During that time, Messi was just 21 and 12 months away from winning his first Ballon d’Or.

Messi broke into the Nou Camp team as a 17-year-old under Frank Rijkaard during the 2004-05 season and has gone on to win 34 major trophies at Barcelona, including 10 LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues.

He has also picked up six Ballons d’Or in the process and scored a total of 627 goals in 718 games for the reigning Spanish champions.

Branca has also admitted that he is aware of Barca’s growing interest in current San Siro star Lautaro Martinez, but refused further comment.