The father of Barcelona icon Lionel Messi says his son was never interested in trialling with Real Madrid as a junior. Jorge Messi, however, admits his son could've ended up in Italy when they were discussing his next move.

"We sat down as a family and decided whether to go to Barcelona or Italy. Leo was excited to come to Barcelona. He never wanted to try in Madrid.

"If my son had not needed that hormone treatment, we would not have had so much pressure to find a club that paid, which was what eventually led us to Barca."