According to reports published by the newspaper "Sport," the Argentine star Lionel Messi had expressed his desire to sign defender Cristian Romero to strengthen Barcelona's squad in 2021, when he was the team captain.

This came at a time when Messi was negotiating the renewal of his contract with Barcelona's management, led by Joan Laporta, following a difficult period for the club after an 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich. He demanded the team be strengthened with new players to return to competition.

According to the same source, Romero's name was proposed as an option to strengthen Barcelona's defense, which later piqued the player's interest. He previously stated, "Having Messi consider me as a teammate and wanting me to join Barcelona is amazing," although there are other accounts suggesting that it was the club's management who proposed his name.

However, Messi unexpectedly left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021, even though the renewal of his contract was close to being finalized, which caused tension in his relationship with the club's management led by Laporta.

On the other hand, Romero was owned by Juventus at the time and played on loan at Atalanta, before moving to the Italian team for 17 million euros. He then joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan in 2021, before the English club later purchased his contract for 54 million euros, with a deal extending until 2029.

The Argentine defender played 123 matches with Tottenham, during which he scored 13 goals. He is currently absent due to a right knee injury, with expectations of his return before the start of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, where Argentina will be defending their title.