Lionel Messi as a replacement for Barry Ferguson during his time at Rangers. It sounds like something out of Football Manager - and that's sort of because it is - as McLeish's son gave him the recommendation after playing the popular computer game.
The remarkable approach took place at around the time of the 2004-05 season as a fresh-faced Messi was starting to make inroads into Barcelona's first-team.
He made his debut as a 17-year-old against Espanyol, becoming the club's youngest ever player, and would go on to make a further eight appearances that season.
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