Could Lionel Messi Have Played for the Brazil National Team: Historical Research Details

Information suggesting that living football legend Lionel Messi could have represented not only Argentina, but also another giant of world football, is capturing public attention. Recent historical research shows that the multi-time Ballon d'Or winner has Brazilian roots on his mother's side and theoretically had the right to play for the "Seleção". This is reported by Goal.com. reports .

As a result of three years of research by Italian historian Fiorenzo Santini, Messi's maternal lineage was studied. According to Globo, citing Yahoo Sports, one of the player's maternal great-grandfathers was born in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, Brazil, in the early 20th century. This fact could have given Messi the legal basis to obtain Brazilian citizenship and play for the country's national team.

Unexpected Family Ties

According to the study, Messi's ancestors moved from Brazil to Rosario, Argentina, around 1905. Santini discovered that the family's original surname was Coccettini, but after settling in Argentina it changed to Cuccittini. It was this migration process that tied Lionel's destiny to Argentina, otherwise it is quite likely we could have seen him in the yellow-and-green kit.

Apart from Brazil, Lionel Messi also had the opportunity to choose the Italy and Spain national teams during his career. While the connection to Italy is explained by the origins of his distant relatives, the Spain option was much more serious. Since Messi grew up in the Barcelona academy from the age of 13, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) put a lot of effort into luring him to their side.

Spain's Rejected Offer

Former Spain national team coach Vicente del Bosque has repeatedly stated that the federation took all possible measures to include Messi in the "La Roja" squad. "The federation did everything possible for Messi to play for Spain, but Lionel refused because he loved his homeland. His arrival would have been the best gift for us, because Messi is unique and irreplaceable," the coach recalls.

These interesting facts came back into the spotlight after the 2026 World Cup final. In the decisive match at MetLife Stadium, Argentina lost to Spain 1-0 and failed to defend their champion title. Nevertheless, 39-year-old Messi proved his phenomenal level once again during the tournament by scoring 8 goals and providing 4 assists.

Currently, Lionel Messi and members of the Argentina national team are on a short-term break. The team is expected to return to the pitch during the international breaks in September and October, although future opponents and the match schedule have not yet been officially confirmed. Messi's choice is still recognized as one of the best decisions in football history.