Lionel Messi’s Hilarious Role in Forgotten Barcelona Transfer

Messi played the role of Barcelona’s sports director to complete a signing back in 2017.

Lionel Messi’s influence for Barcelona was immeasurable. | Victor Carretero/Real MadridGetty Images

Lionel Messi is the undisputed greatest Barcelona player of all time, but his brilliance and influence extended off the pitch, where he played a significant role in the club’s ability to complete transfers. Just ask former Brazil international Paulinho.

The one-time Tottenham Hotspur midfielder left European soccer for China in 2015, joining Guangzhou FC in what many believed was his goodbye from the sport’s elite. Two years later, Barcelona came knocking and Paulinho recently revealed a hilarious exchange with Messi that facilitated his move to Catalonia.

“Messi came up to me.” Paulinho said, via MARCA. “We [Brazil] were playing a friendly against Argentina in Australia. The referee had just blown a foul and I was standing next to the ball with Willian.

“Suddenly, Leo [Messi] came over, looks me straight in the eyes and says, ‘So … are we going to Barcelona or not?’ Just like that, nothing else, with no explanation.

Lionel Messi [left] and Paulinho were on opposite sides of international soccer’s biggest rivalry. | Paul Rovere/Getty Images

“He turned around and left, I didn’t even have time to think, I just said, ‘If you want to take me, I’ll go.’ I was playing in China back then, and no one thought Barcelona were interested in me. I thought Messi was joking or trying to manipulate me during the game. But it was just a friendly, so I started to have doubts.

“So after the game I called my agent and said, ‘Boss, for God’s sake, I’m going crazy, tell me if this is real.’ I was so desperate that I even thought of asking Neymar to see if he knew anything. A month later, my agent called me and said, ‘The deal is done, you have to come to Barcelona to sign the papers.’”

The friendly Paulinho refers to took place in June 2017 and the Brazilian went on to make his Barcelona debut two months later, reinforcing a Blaugrana side that had just lost both Neymar and manager Luis Enrique.

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How Did Paulinho Perform At Barcelona?

Paulinho became somewhat of a cult hero in Barcelona. | Power Sport Images/Getty Images

Paulinho’s stats for Barcelona

• Seasons Played: 1
• Appearances: 49
• Goals: 9
• Assists: 3
• Titles Won: 2

Barcelona unloaded €40 million ($47 million) to sign Paulinho ahead of the 2017–18 season. Although he wasn’t the prototypical Barça midfielder, he added physicality to a central area that included players such as Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitić and Andrés Iniesta.

Many expected him to be used primarily as a backup, but he went on to start 21 games in La Liga, coming off the bench in another 13. Barcelona cruised to the league title, winning it by a 14-point margin and nearly going invincible with just one defeat. All of Paulinho’s goal contributions as a Blaugrana came in La Liga.

Paulinho (right) and Ousmane Dembélé were Barcelona 2017 summer signings. | Power Sport Images/Getty Images

Paulinho also appeared in nine of Barcelona’s 10 Champions League games that term. The only match in which he didn’t feature, Barcelona endured a heartbreaking and now infamous elimination at the hands of AS Roma in the quarterfinal.

Still, he would go on to lift the second trophy of his Barcelona career in the 5–0 win vs. Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final. Paulinho played his final game as a Blaugrana on May 5, 2018, scoring a goal in the 5–1 win over Villarreal.

Paulinho returned to Guangzhou FC in China on loan after the 2018 World Cup and six months later Barcelona sold him permanently to the Chinese side for essentially the same fee they bought him for. The Brazilian played in China until 2021, before returning to Brazil with Corinthians until his retirement in 2024.

Now working as the sporting director for Mirassol FC in the Brazilian league, Paulinho can always look back and say it was Messi who personally helped his move to Barcelona materialize. Was the transfer successful? During his 49 appearances donning the Blaugrana shirt, Barcelona lost only once.

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