The 76-year-old famous coach revealed his "secret history of robbing people": How did Argentina take Messi back from Spain?

The former Argentina national team coach recalled that he personally planned an "action" to let Messi represent Argentina in a youth team friendly match, thereby preventing him from playing for Spain in the future.

The 76-year-old Jose Pekerman is one of the most respected coaches in Argentine football. In addition to creating glory in the Argentine youth system, he also coached the national team and it was he who gave Messi his debut in an Argentine shirt. Speaking at the Olé Summit, hosted by Argentinian media outlet Olé, Pekerman recalled the carefully orchestrated actions he took to "rob" Messi in 2004 - to prevent him from representing Spain at the U20 World Cup.

Pekerman recalled on Wednesday: "When I left the national team, the coaching staff was continued by (Ugo) Tokali. I went to Europe for further study and improvement. In Spain, we had a record of Messi, who played for Spain in an under-17 championship in Finland. The Spanish coaching staff told us that if they had this kid at that time, they could win That game. I told Tokali that I was shocked. He was a future player. I couldn't mistake him. He was a new talent in Argentine football and a gift. "The FIFA regulations at the time stated that as long as a player has played for a certain youth team, he can no longer play for other countries. Spain has prepared documents for him. Messi is 18 years old at their U20 World Cup so our action has to start immediately," he continued.

"Tocali told me that he had already formed a team for the U20 South American Championship that will start in a month. I told him that I do not want Messi to participate in the game if it is not necessary. He only needs to play a friendly match, sign, play, and send the list to FIFA. In this way, Spain will never have a chance." Pekerman explained the choice faced by Argentina at the time. If Messi had featured in that friendly for Argentina U20s, it would have completely sealed the possibility of him representing Spain.

"I talked to (Football Association President) Grondona and said that Messi is willing to come and needs to send a summons letter to Barcelona. I felt it when I first saw him, but it was also luck. I think he will be like Diego (Maradona). I have a feeling for him. Grondona said that any opponent would do, and Tokali also knew this, but there was one condition - the game had to be played at the home ground of the Argentinian youth team, because Diego had played there..." Pekerman recalled how he completed one of the most important operations in the history of Argentine football.

The friendly match was finally played on June 29, 2004, with Argentina beating Paraguay 8-0. Messi came on as a half-time substitute for Ezequiel Lavezzi, scoring the team's seventh goal and assisting the fifth.