Lionel Messi is practically a living god at Barcelona.

Over 13-years at the Nou Camp, the Argentine has essentially achieved everything there is to achieve. His trophy cabinet boasts the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey and FIFA Club World Cup titles as well as many more.

That’s not mentioning his individual achievements either, five of which just happening to be the Ballon d’Or. Furthermore, Messi is the all time top scorer of his club, country and league.

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You could list his achievements for days and days but it’s Barcelona that reaps the rewards of this incredible talent.

And, therefore, it is Real Madrid that feels the brunt of Messi’s wrath. Quite literally in fact with the 30-year-old proving the top scorer in El Clasico history.

It seems extremely unlikely that Messi will ever leave Catalunya and if he ever did, a late-career return to Newell’s Old Boys appears the most plausible move. Occasional links to Manchester City remain rather fantastical.

All that considered, you would rate Messi’s chances of signing for Real as being beyond impossible, right?

To the state the obvious – of course. But it hasn’t stopped Los Blancos president Florentino Perez from entertaining the idea in the past.

The 70-year-old is no stranger to a lucrative transfer and secured the infamous capture of Luis Figo from archenemies Barcelona in 2000. He also procured the so-called ‘Galaticos’ of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham.

And Perez admits that Messi would be exactly the kind of player he would have bid for in that aforementioned first tenure as president.

Speaking to Cadena SER, he explained: " If there had been a Messi in my first stage [as president], I would have gone after him.

"He is now a Barca player. He has been there since he was a kid. It would be very difficult."

Astonishingly, though, that isn’t the end of the story. In a Twitter Q&A, Sky Sports’ resident Spanish football expert – Guillem Balague – stated that Perez has actually attempted to sign Messi in the past.

Not once but twice, that is. Check out his tweet:

It’s almost certain that Perez wasn’t able to get any further than an enquiry but it’s incredible, nonetheless, that Real even felt they stood a chance. Any such move would make the Figo switch look tame.

But then again, this is the Real president that brought Jonathan Woodgate to the Bernabeu, so should we ever expect anything saner?

Do you think Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time? Let us know by leaving a comment below.