In 2008, Manchester City, freshly flush with Abu Dhabi money, made headlines for their ambitious spending spree. However, their attempts to secure a marquee signing took an unintended turn when a “messy” mix-up led to an accidental £35 million bid for none other than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
The bizarre episode was recently recounted by former City assistant manager Mark Bowen on the Business of Sport podcast. During that summer, City were throwing out offers to European clubs, testing the waters with bids for stars like Franck Ribery, Robinho, and Dimitar Berbatov. “They were just chucking out [£30-35m] to these clubs in Europe to see which one would bite,” Bowen explained.
Amid the frenzy of last-minute calls and offers, things took a surreal turn when City inadvertently submitted a bid to Barcelona for Messi. At the time, Messi was emerging as one of the brightest stars in world football, and Barca president Joan Laporta was far from amused. According to Bowen, Laporta reacted furiously, saying: “Who the f** do Man City think they are? They’re taking the p***.”*
The confusion reportedly stemmed from an internal conversation where someone joked about the situation being “messy.” Somehow, this led to the club sending an official offer for Messi, who was already well on his way to becoming a Barcelona legend.
The unintended bid became a source of embarrassment and hilarity within City. Garry Cook, the club’s CEO at the time, found himself in the crossfire of the chaotic operation. Bowen recalled the atmosphere of City’s London office during those frantic days, describing it as a whirlwind of calls and deals gone awry.
Although Messi remained at Barcelona, the saga highlighted the growing ambitions—and occasional missteps—of Manchester City in the early days of their financial revolution. That summer, City managed to secure Robinho for £32.5 million, their first major signing under the new ownership.
Reflecting on the surreal moment, Bowen noted that while the bid for Messi seemed ludicrous in hindsight, it wasn’t entirely outlandish at the time. “People were talking about Ribery and Messi, which is the better of the two,” he said.
Today, City’s accidental Messi bid is a reminder of the club’s early transition into football’s financial elite—a story that has since become a running joke in football circles.