Barcelona came very close to signing Real Madrid midfielder when he was 12

The historic rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid dates back decades.

Both clubs remain the crème de la crème for rising stars, as the two Spanish giants are renowned for harboring the biggest talents in world football.

Brahim Diaz was close to playing for Barcelona

In an interesting bit of news from SPORT, one of Real Madrid’s current players was close to being a Blaugrana when he was a mere 12-year-old boy.

As per the report, Brahim Diaz was very close to Barcelona when he was 12 years old, but Malaga’s Qatari owner, Abdullah Al Thani, made a higher offer and renewed the player’s contract.

The agreement with the 24-year-old attacking midfielder was in place and Brahim wanted to come to Barça as well. But, everything changed Al Thani intervened with a lucrative offer.

Brahim’s father then informed Barcelona that they simply cannot turn down the proposal from Malaga.

Diaz’s journey

After leaving Manchester City to join Real Madrid in January 2019, Brahim went on to win the Spanish Super Cup 2020 as well as La Liga in the 2019/20 season. He was sent on loan to AC Milan in September 2020, where he tallied 18 goals across all competitions.

Returning to Los Blancos this summer, he has not played regularly this term for Real Madrid, but he scored the opener for his side against Braga in the Champions League yesterday.

Had Barcelona acquired Brahim as a youngster, the iconic white of Real Madrid would have potentially been replaced by the vibrant Blaugrana of Barcelona.

As an attacking midfielder, he may have proven to be useful for Xavi, but now he represents enemy lines, with the Spaniard plying his trade with the Merengues after representing Malaga, Manchester City, and AC Milan on loan.

A decision made at that tender age could have altered the course of not just the player’s career but the fierce rivalry between two of the world’s greatest clubs.