When Real Madrid wanted to sign Messi...on a jet plane!

Lionel Messi playing for Real Madrid? Is that even a possibility in real world! In video games like Pro Evolution Soccer and Ea Sports FIFA, there could be a chance but the transfer fee needs to be as exorbitant as it is in the real world today.

Some Barcelona, or even Real Madrid fans, or even general football fans, will definitely be surprised to learn that the Los Blancos once wanted to sign the little Argentine football magician very desperately...back in 2013.

As per a report on Spanish newspaper El Mundo, who quoted a source from Spiegel, Real Madrid President Florentino Perez was ready to trigger Messi's unbelievable buyout clause of £222million. This was communicated by Messi's former lawyer Inigo Suarez to the footballer's father Jorge Messi.

And to get the job done, Perez decided a meeting with the concerned parties several miles above land.

Yes, you read that right! A meeting was set in a private jet.

The parties were Messi, his lawyer Juarez, Perez, Miguel Pardeza, the then sporting director of Real Madrid and a lawyer looking after the possible transfer.

According to the report, the Galacticos were ready to offer a contract for a whopping period of seven years. Messi would have received a net amount of £400,000 per week if he had signed that deal. His dad, Jorge, too would have been richer by £890,000.

This took place in June 2013, before Gareth Bale made his switch from Tottenham to Real Madrid in September for a reported fee worth €100m (£86m).

Messi, who signed a contract extension with FC Barcelona in November 2017 until the 2020-21 season, will not be accessible by any club in the world now as his buyout clause has been set at an out-of-the-world €700m.

The 30-year-old joined Barca at the age of 13. He made his youth academy debut in 2001 and subsequently made the FC Barcelona senior team debut in 2004. The rest, as they say, was history.