Joan
Lacueva, a man who played a crucial role in bringing Lionel Messi and
Andrés Iniesta to the Camp Nou has passed away at the age of 64
following a lengthy illness. Lacueva pushed the Catalan giants hard back
in 2001 to sign Messi, who at the time was little more than a scrawny
13 year old kid with some outstanding ball skills.
Back then, when the Argentine and his father, Jorge were on the hunt for a club in which he could start his football career in Europe, Lacueva's vision proved decisive to him choosing Barcelona.
At the time, Lacueva was the executive in charge of youth development at the club, the director of its Foundation and general manager, Antón Parera's right hand man. In his book, "Neither King nor God, the true story of the best," Lacueva relates how he insisted so much in signing the player that his boss and friend finally gave in.
"I told Parera that we had to get him to sign no matter what," he wrote in the book narrating the Argentine star's life. Despite Lacueva's prominent role in signing Messi, they drifted apart over the years. "The strangest thing is that if Lionel walked into this room and saw me, he probably wouldn't recognise me," he confessed at the time.
Back then, when the Argentine and his father, Jorge were on the hunt for a club in which he could start his football career in Europe, Lacueva's vision proved decisive to him choosing Barcelona.
At the time, Lacueva was the executive in charge of youth development at the club, the director of its Foundation and general manager, Antón Parera's right hand man. In his book, "Neither King nor God, the true story of the best," Lacueva relates how he insisted so much in signing the player that his boss and friend finally gave in.
"I told Parera that we had to get him to sign no matter what," he wrote in the book narrating the Argentine star's life. Despite Lacueva's prominent role in signing Messi, they drifted apart over the years. "The strangest thing is that if Lionel walked into this room and saw me, he probably wouldn't recognise me," he confessed at the time.
Joan Lacueva, a man who played a crucial role in bringing
Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta to the Camp Nou
has passed away at the age of 64 following a lengthy illness. Lacueva pushed
the Catalan giants hard back in 2001 to sign Messi, who at the time was little
more than a scrawny 13 year old kid with some outstanding ball skills.
Back then, when the Argentine and his father, Jorge were on
the hunt for a club in which he could start his football career in Europe,
Lacueva's vision proved decisive to him choosing Barcelona.
At the time, Lacueva was the executive in charge of youth
development at the club, the director of its Foundation and general manager,
Antón Parera's right hand man. In his book, "Neither King nor God, the
true story of the best," Lacueva relates how he insisted so much in
signing the player that his boss and friend finally gave in.
"I told Parera that we had to get him to sign no matter
what," he wrote in the book narrating the Argentine star's life. Despite
Lacueva's prominent role in signing Messi, they drifted apart over the years.
"The strangest thing is that if Lionel walked into this room and saw me,
he probably wouldn't recognise me," he confessed at the time.
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