Premier League fans have a mixture of the Manchester rain and the prospect of having to face Sean Dyche’s Burnley to blame for why Lionel Messi never appeared in England.
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That’s according to the former Clarets boss, who recounted an amusing conversation between himself, then Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce and Manchester City chief Pep Guardiola.
In 2020, Messi reached out to his former Barcelona boss about the prospect of making the move to the Etihad Stadium.
The move never materialised, with the Argentinian remaining at the Nou Camp before leaving to join Paris Saint-Germain a year later.
But as talk of Messi’s potential move to England was doing the rounds, Dyche attempted to get to the bottom of the speculation – by putting the question to Pep himself.
"Me and Steve Bruce go up to one of these Premier League meetings. It was just after Covid so you were allowed in the room and you were allowed to mix a little bit,” he explained to talkSPORT.
"We’re getting a cup of tea and I know these guys a little bit, I know Brucey quite well and Pep was there. I said: ‘are you alright, Pep?’ and he goes: ‘are you alright, lads?’.
Dyche pictured with Man City boss Pep Guardiola (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Dyche pictured with Man City boss Pep Guardiola (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)
"I asked him: ‘what was that thing about Lionel Messi?’ and he goes: ‘Sean, Steve, I tell you this, Lionel, there is no way he can come to Manchester City, because I tell Lionel it rains, it rains and rains and when it stops raining’ – I won’t use the word he used – ‘it rains again!’
"Then he goes: ‘Lionel, on a Monday night you have to go to Burnley with Sean’s teams and they go bang, bang, bang’ and me and Brucey were crying. I said to him: ‘and that’s exactly what we’re going to do Pep, so you’ve warned him correctly’.
"Me and Brucey were crying, honestly. It was genius. Pep is brilliant, he was deadpan. He kept saying: ‘I tell Lionel, I tell him!’”
Dyche added: "Imagine that, his face turning up at Turf Moor going: ‘what on earth?’
“Absolutely smashing it down with rain, wind blowing across and knocking you over.”
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