How a VHS Tape Radically Changed the Fate of the Argentine National Team

2026-07-18 10:13 © zumapress

World Championship Final: Argentina against Spain, Lionel Messi against Lamine Yamal.

These duels might not have happened if not for the extraordinary story that took place more than two decades ago.

In the early stages of his career, L. Messi was very close to choosing the Spain national team instead of Argentina.

At the age of 13, the Argentine moved to Barcelona and joined the famous "La Masia" academy. Later, he acquired the right to represent this country's national team.

At that time in Argentina, almost no one knew about the young Messi. His father Jorge asked agent Horacio Gaggioli to send a VHS tape with Messi's gameplay episodes to Argentine coaches.

Argentina's coach Marcelo Bielsa's assistant Claudio Vivas showed the recording to Bielsa himself. Upon seeing the footage, Bielsa initially thought the recording was being played in fast motion, as Messi moved incredibly quickly.

Upon learning that it was normal speed, he was amazed by the talent.

However, Messi was not invited to the 2003 U17 World Cup.

After Argentina lost in the semi-finals to Spain, the South American country's football federation urgently arranged friendly matches to ensure the forward's right to represent Argentina.

Although there was significant interest from Spain, Messi himself had made up his mind from the very beginning—he wanted to play only for Argentina while continuing his career at FC Barcelona.

With his home country's national team, the sniper became a world champion, a Copa America winner, and an Olympic champion.