This archive report was first published on 25 May 2020.
On February 22, 2020, a file photo captured Lionel Messi celebrating a goal for Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.
According to Inter Milan's former technical director Marco Branca, the Serie A club 'went all out' to sign Messi in 2008, when the Argentine was just 21 years old and 12 months away from winning his first Ballon d'Or.
Inter Milan offered Messi a more lucrative deal than his current contract at Barcelona, but he ultimately chose to stay with the Catalan giants.
'Yes, we moved for him, but Leo did not want to leave Barcelona,' Branca told Libero. 'He was very grateful to the club. Money does not always come first.'
Branca, who worked at Inter Milan for 12 years from 2002, helped sign players like Diego Milito, Samuel Eto'o, and Wesley Sneijder, who all played in Inter's treble-winning side under Jose Mourinho in 2010.
Inter Milan's recruitment strategy targeted players who had been deemed surplus to requirements at other clubs, as Branca revealed: 'We sign angry players because they were rejected by their previous clubs.'
