Bowen was assistant manager to Mark Hughes at City in 2008 when the move was made.
Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, Bowen explained how it all began with a confusing and improvised strategy: "It was almost the end of the transfer window, and (then chief exec) Gary Cook told Mark Hughes that he owners wanted to do something big.
"At one point, we were making random €30 million offers: €30 million for (Dimitar) Berbatov, €30 million for Robinho, €30 million for (Franck) Ribéry… We were circulating them around Europe to see who would accept."
Amidst this flurry of attempts, the unthinkable happened.
"While all this was unfolding, during an event in London, the Barcelona president announced that Manchester City had made a €30 million offer for Messi."
This news shocked everyone, and the Catalan club's response was immediate - a flat refusal.
Ultimately, Robinho emerged from that transfer window, and City's first truly ambitious transfer campaign took shape, with Vincent Kompany also among the high-profile arrivals.