Barca claim Robinho snub
Joan Laporta claims that he turned down the chance to sign Real Madrid's Robinho.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta claims that he turned down the chance to sign Real Madrid sensation Robinho.The Brazilian starlet has already emerged as a darling to Real's fans after his sensational debut against Cadiz.
Despite only being given 25 minutes to make an impression, the 21-year-old produced a stunning cameo - helping to set up his side's late winner and demonstrating a host of the tricks that earned him such a reputation in his native Brazil.
However, arch rivals Barca have now moved to take some of the gloss off his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu by claiming they snubbed the chance to secure his services.
Laporta claims he opted to turn down Robinho - despite his desire to move to Camp Nou - because of the potential of Argentine starlet Lionel Messi who he went on to compare to Johan Cruyff and Diego Maradona.
"Robinho wanted to come to Barcelona, but we were never interested," Laporta stated.
"We already have Messi and we have a lot of hope placed in him.
"He is only 18 but he controls the ball like no-one else.
"He has the style of both players (Cruyff and Maradona) and he can become a global star, for that reason I prefer Messi (to Robinho)."
