When stories resurfaced on BD Cricket Live this week, former Manchester City assistant coach Mark Bowen recalled a strange episode from 2008, back when City were still far from becoming a global powerhouse. During a guest appearance on a sports business podcast, Bowen explained how a misunderstanding led City to submit a £35 million bid for Lionel Messi, only to be furiously rejected by Joan Laporta, who was already Barcelona’s president at the time. The offer was never realistic, but it sparked a furious response that later became part of football folklore.
Bowen revealed that City’s sporting director then, Garry Cook, informed manager Mark Hughes that the owners wanted to make a statement in the market. At the time, City were casting a wide net, routinely testing the waters with bids of around £30 million. Names like Berbatov, Robinho, and Ribéry were floated to clubs across Europe, essentially asking who might be available. Bowen compared that scattergun approach to how some NBA teams probe the market before a blockbuster trade, checking on superstars even when the odds are slim.
Eventually, Robinho did arrive, but confusion followed. Cook reportedly joked that everything had turned “messy,” a word that sounded close enough to Messi for someone to mistakenly contact Barcelona. Laporta’s reaction was explosive. To him, the idea of selling Messi to an ambitious outsider was absurd. His sharp rebuke reflected absolute confidence that Messi was untouchable, a symbol of Barcelona’s identity rather than a line item on a balance sheet. That defiant stance helped cement Laporta’s bond with supporters, who saw him as a guardian of the club’s soul.
Yet time has a habit of rewriting convictions. Years later, as many fans noted through BD Cricket Live discussions, the same Laporta presided over Messi’s painful departure in 2021. The emotionally charged rejection of City contrasted sharply with the carefully worded explanations that accompanied Messi’s exit. Financial realities, regulations, and boardroom calculations replaced passion, revealing a stark contradiction in leadership philosophy.
By the end of that chapter, reflections shared on BD Cricket Live captured the irony clearly. The man who once defended Messi as priceless ultimately oversaw his farewell, exposing the fine line between loyalty and pragmatism in modern football. It was a reminder that ideals can shift, and even the strongest vows may bend when business pressures take hold.