Barcelona scout advised against signing 13-year-old Lionel Messi as three reports emerge
One evaluator wanted Barcelona to pass on Messi, while another compared the teenager to Diego Maradona.
A Barcelona evaluator recommended against signing Lionel Messi at 13, while another compared him to Diego Maradona, three scouting reports shared by journalist Florent Torchut reveal.
The assessments date from Messi’s trials with Barcelona in autumn 2000. All three recognised his ability, but reached very different conclusions about whether the club should take him on.
Torchut, a France Football journalist and author of Messi biography Rey Leo, shared the handwritten evaluations on X.
Why one evaluator advised against signing Messi
The most sceptical report acknowledged Messi’s technical quality but questioned whether his small stature would allow him to compete as he progressed through the youth categories.
Its recommendation, circled in the document, translates as: “I don’t think he should be signed.”
Rather than bring him in, the evaluator suggested monitoring his physical development and giving him another trial in a couple of years.
The first assessment also identified his lack of height and physical strength as weaknesses. However, its verdict was far more positive, praising his vision, agility, dribbling and shooting before concluding that he was a “great player”.
Another report compared Messi to Maradona
The third evaluator saw enough to recommend signing him.
With a qualification acknowledging the difference between the two players, the report described Messi as a young Maradona and added: “I would sign him.”
It also predicted considerable improvement, offering a striking contrast to the recommendation to wait and reassess him.
Barcelona ultimately brought Messi into their academy. He went on to score a club-record 672 goals and win 35 major trophies, including 10 league titles and four Champions Leagues.
