New Barcelona signing Arda Turan has revealed that Lionel Messi went above and beyond to welcome him to the team.
The Turkish international was signed from Atletico Madrid during the summer but, due to transfer restrictions imposed on the Catalans, he cannot make his official debut until January 2016.
That means Turan is yet to receive a squad number – but he has been made a very special offer…
“When I started with the Turkish national team, I wore number 14 because my dad is a fan of Johann Cruyff,” Turan told Spanish paper Sport.
“Then I took the number 10 at Atletico. Messi told me that if I want it at Barcelona, it’s mine.”
We can only imagine what Messi’s PR team, sponsors, the Barcelona board and fans might make of the gesture – but it’s a pretty impressive offer.
