Is Barça superstar Lionel Messi also a damn good scout?
A second division kicker in Argentina’s star selection? At the side of Lionel Messi? Unthinkable! A Premier League climber with 14 goals and 15 assists in 37 games? Could go. Especially when Messi asked him personally – this is what happened with Emiliano Buendía from Norwich City.
“Emi” revealed in an interview with the “Guardian” that Leo asked him almost exactly six years ago to the day. Buendía is a dual citizen of Spain and Argentina and was already in action for the “Gauchos” at the U20 World Cup – and also against Austria’s U20s.
Messi came up to midfielder Buendía with a hand held in a 6-0 win over Getafe by Barça during the break (5-0!).
“‘What are you going to do? Do you want to play for Spain or Argentina?’ he asked me, “says Buendía,” I told him straight away: Of course for Argentina, with you – that would be a dream! “
A little later, Getafe was relegated and after being promoted again in 2017, the Madrilenians awarded Buendía to the second division team Leonesa. In 2018 he was signed by Norwich City, which was also a second division team at the time. In the meantime he has climbed once with the “Canaries”, and has just climbed up again.
Buendía was voted “Player of the Year” at Norwich City on Wednesday and “Championship Player of the Year” on Thursday by the English Football League (EFL). Let’s see what else is to come.
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