Journalist Florent Torchut of France Football published three reports written by La Masia coaches about Lionel Messi during his initial trials with Barcelona in 2000.

At 13, Messi was already displaying all his talent on the ball and astonishing everyone with his skill. However, his height and physical development raised doubts about whether he would be able to compete at higher age-group levels.

The first coach highlighted his technical superiority over other boys his age.

“Considering his age, he is a very complete technical player,” he wrote, also praising Messi’s vision, agility, intelligence, dribbling ability, and shooting power.

He concluded: “Very good in the penalty area. His only weakness is his height and lack of physicality. Great player.”

The second report was the most pessimistic. It acknowledged Messi’s technical quality but considered his physical limitations a major obstacle:

“Undeniable technical quality, but his physical limitation (142 cm) is very significant and prevents him from competing. Even if he grows, at 150 cm it will be very difficult for him to play in the top cadet division. I THINK HE SHOULD NOT BE SIGNED. Monitor his development and test him again in a couple of years.”

The third report was the most enthusiastic and left no room for doubt:

“Allowing for the differences, he is a Maradona (young in age). I would sign him; he has to go much further. We’ll see how he develops.”

A few months after these assessments by the youth coaches, Barça finally signed La Pulga (The Flea), and everything that followed became part of sporting history.

• Antonio Conte would be prepared to succeed Michael Carrick as Manchester United head coach, talkSPORT understands.
• talkSPORT understands representatives of Conte have told United would be interested in taking over should Carrick face the axe.
• Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler is known to be admired by the United hierarchy, while Julian Nagelsmann is another option.

Julián Álvarez realized sooner rather than later that he had made a mistake during the World Cup. After the victory over Austria in the second round of matches, in Dallas, the Córdoba-born striker from Calchín expressed his desire to fulfill his dream of playing for Barcelona.

Following the advice of his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, he made a statement that went around the world within minutes and enraged Atlético Madrid fans. The response from the club's leadership was immediate: “The release clause or nothing.” Manager Diego Pablo Simeone also stood his ground.

The asking price was set at a prohibitive €500 million. Weeks passed, the transfer window closed, and the World Cup-winning striker from Qatar was left trapped by his own words. He did everything he could to leave, but failed. Within his inner circle, the verdict on the strategy was damning: a disaster. As a result, Hidalgo stopped representing him, and reports from Madrid now identify Pablo Barquero as his new agent.

The choice does not appear to be a coincidence. Álvarez received offers from Javier Pastore, who works with his friend Enzo Fernández, and Jorge Mendes, the powerful Portuguese agent who manages one of the largest portfolios of footballers in the world, with Cristiano Ronaldo as his biggest client.

However, Álvarez opted for a much more low-profile representative. Barquero is a boutique agent whose client list consists of just two names: Rodri and Pablo Sarabia, who currently plays for Al-Arabi in Qatar. Fewer clients, closer attention. That appears to have been the Argentine striker's strategy.

Álvarez met Barquero during his time in Manchester, where he spent a couple of seasons alongside Rodri. Their existing relationship and the personalized attention offered by the agent ultimately tipped the balance in his favor.

But there is another detail that may have proved decisive: Barquero managed to negotiate the World Cup-winning midfielder's departure from England to Barcelona. Given Julián's desire to wear the Blaugrana shirt, that track record takes on special significance.

Did they discuss a possible departure from Atlético Madrid? Is a move to Barcelona a target for the next January transfer window or for August next year? For now, there are no clear answers.

But the change of agent has once again brought a possibility back into the conversation that the striker was unable to make happen during the last transfer window. And if one thing became clear after that episode, it is that Julián has not forgotten his dream.

Getafe have made a formal offer to sign former Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho.

The 26-year-old winger is out of contract after his deal expired in the summer and has been exploring a number of options.

An agreement is said to be complicated but Spanish side Getafe, who are 14th in La Liga and playing in the Europa Conference League this season, are keen to find a resolution.