Lionel Messi explains how ‘special’ Pep Guardiola ‘did football a lot of harm’ with his style of play
LIONEL MESSI has praised Pep Guardiola for making the game look “simple” – and described him as the best coach he’s ever played under.
The pair spent four years together at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, winning a host of major honours.
Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi spent four years together at BarcelonaTimes Newspapers Ltd
ReutersGuardiola and Messi won the Champions League twice at Barcelona[/caption]
The La Liga giants lifted three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, beating Manchester United twice, and also won several domestic trophies.
Messi scored an incredible 211 goals under Guardiola‘s guidance, with the Spaniard developing him into arguably the best to ever play the game.
That Barcelona side are also widely regarded as one of the best in recent history.
With an abundance of world class talent, they lost just 11 league matches in Guardiola’s reign.
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At their peak, Barca could field a midfield trio of Andreas Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets and a front three of Messi, Pedro and David Villa.
And Messi has waxed lyrical over the current Manchester City boss.
He said: “Guardiola did football a lot of harm. It seemed so easy, so simple, that everyone wanted to copy it.”
Since Guardiola left Barca, they’ve only won the Champions League once and haven’t reached the final in any of the last seven years.
Therefore, despite playing under other top managers, including Frank Rijkaard, the Argentina puts Guardiola as number one.
He added: “Without a doubt, he is the best coach I’ve ever had, he has something special.”
