Former Espanyol defender Mauricio Pochettino has revealed Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi nearly joined the club's city rivals in 2005.

Messi graduated from La Blaugrana's famed La Masia academy and made his competitive first-team debut in October 2004. In the summer of 2005, however, shortly after the Argentine had scored his first senior goal for Barca, the club was intending to loan out the future five-time Ballon d'Or winner to ensure he got regular first-team action.

Pochettino, who was a senior defender at Espanyol before later becoming the club's manager, believes the then-18-year-old came within a whisker of joining him on the other side of Barcelona.

"I remember that summer, he was so close to moving to Espanyol," the Tottenham Hotspur boss said, according to the Guardian's Dave Hytner.

"If he did, maybe he could have been the biggest star in Espanyol. We should be the Barcelona! He would have been my teammate and maybe I would still be in Espanyol managing him."

It is clear why Espanyol were allegedly high on the list of potential loan destinations for Messi. Aside from the club's close proximity to Camp Nou, Messi's Argentina Under-20 World Cup-winning captain Pablo Zabaleta had just joined the Periquitos, while Pochettino himself was born near Messi's hometown of Rosario and, like Messi, began his career with local club Newell's Old Boys.

According to Pochettino, however, one performance from Messi changed everything.

"I heard he was very close to signing for Espanyol," Pochettino continued. "But because he was so fantastic in the Joan Gamper (Trophy game) against Juventus and (Juventus manager) Fabio Capello praised him afterward in the press conference, Barcelona changed their minds. They kept Messi at Barcelona."

Messi would ultimately play 25 games for Barcelona that season, scoring eight goals and announcing himself to the world. For Pochettino and Espanyol, it's a case of what might have been.

Pochettino's Tottenham face Messi and his Barcelona side in a Champions League Group B clash on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium.

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