Lionel Messi reached new heights under Pep Guardiola and insists the Manchester City boss is the best coach around - irrespective of some of his Champions League shortfalls
Lionel Messi has hailed Pep Guardiola as the best around
Lionel Messi has hailed Pep Guardiola as the best around(Image: David Ramos/Getty Images)
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Lionel Messi has hailed Pep Guardiola as the best there is and rubbished the notion that not winning the Champions League more regularly should go against the Manchester City boss.
It was under the Catalan at Barcelona that Messi became the world's greatest player, winning four successive Ballon d'Ors. Together they won the European Cup twice and dominated Spanish football before Guardiola went on to take on new challenges.
The City boss replaced Frank Rijkaard having enjoyed a stellar playing career and quickly converted that brilliance to the dugout. He won the treble in his debut season with a team that boasted the likes of Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
Guardiola took over a side that had gone back-to-back years without a La Liga triumph before the 54-year-old arrived, but his style of play attracted huge plaudits with his Barcelona side regarded by many as the greatest of all-time.
He told ESPN: "For me, Guardiola is unique. There are extraordinarily good coaches, but he has something different. For me, he's the best of all of them. He's the best, and we were lucky to have him at Barcelona. He got together with the players we had and the right pieces came together for what he intended, to achieve everything that was achieved."
Guardiola has continued with his philosophy, and winning habit, at the two clubs he's worked at since leaving the Nou Camp in 2012. He initially took over at Bayern Munich, spending three years there, before heading to Manchester.
With the Germans he won a hat-trick of Bundesliga titles, several domestic titles, all whilst playing a stellar brand of football. However he missed out on the Champions League, losing in the semi-finals every year he was in charge. That shortfall has been used as a stick to beat him with.
Pep Guardiola endured several years of Champions League heartbreak
Pep Guardiola endured several years of Champions League heartbreak
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At City he broke numerous Premier League records, but continued to come up short on the Champions League stage. It took Guardiola seven tries to deliver the European triumph that the club craved - which culminated in City winning an historic treble.
Messi hailed the manner in which Guardiola's team continued to win and rejected the notion that near misses in Europe should be held against him with the Catalan proving a hugely innovative influence.
The Argentine said: "He went to other places and continued winning. It's not just because of winning but because of the way his teams played. He did at Bayern, although he couldn't win the Champions League there, he changed the way the game was played in Germany, the same in England with City, he changed the way the league is played."
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