Fabio Capello: 'I tried to sign Lionel Messi'

Former Juventus coach Fabio Capello has revealed that he tried to sign Barcelona's Lionel Messi during his spell in Turin.

The Argentine superstar, 27, is gearing up for a Champions League final with the Bianconeri in Berlin on Saturday as he looks to pick up his fourth European title.

Messi, a four-time Ballon d'Or winner, dazzled in a friendly against Capello's Juventus 10 years ago, and the Italian admits that he tried to sign him directly afterwards.

"I've never seen anything like him as a 16 year-old," he told The Mirror.

"At the end of the match I went to [Frank] Rijkaard (the then-Barcelona manager) to say they already had three foreigners in the squad, they should release one!

"I wanted to sign Messi. I tried to buy him, but Barca wouldn't sell."

Capello managed the Italian giants from 2004 until 2006.