Sports

“Do you know why Messi is the best player” – Pep Guardiola explains to Man City players

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2022

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has been filmed explaining to his players why he considers Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Lionel Messi to be the best player in the world..

Guardiola, who coached Messi during his time at Barcelona, was captured during a team talk in a recently released documentary, Together: Champions Again!. The documentary provides behind-the-scenes footage of Manchester City’s 2021-22 title-winning campaign.

During the second episode of the series, Guardiola referenced the 35-year-old at a half-time team talk to explain how his team could finish off Club Brugge during a UEFA Champions League group-stage fixture. Manchester City were already 2-0 up at the interval.

But the 51-year-old demanded more. He said (via GiveMeSport):

“Do you know why Messi is the best player I’ve ever seen in my life? Because he is a competitor. He’s an animal. And now, we pass the ball, we take a look. When you pass the ball, attack here!”
He added:

“You have to score the goals, guys! He passes the ball and goes in like a machine. He smells the goal! And you have to cross it and you have to arrive.”
Manchester City netted three more times before full-time to secure a dominating 5-1 victory over the Belgian outfit at the Jan Breydel Stadium last October. While Riyad Mahrez scored a brace, Joao Cancelo, Kyle Walker and Cole Palmer also got on the scoresheet.

After finishing top of Group A ahead of PSG last season, the six-time Premier League champions were eliminated by eventual winners Real Madrid in the semi-finals. Messi’s PSG were also knocked out by Los Blancos in the last-16 stages of the prestigious competition.

During his illustrious career, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has registered 770 goals and 332 assists in 975 appearances for Argentina, Barcelona and PSG combined. He recently helped the Parisians lift the Trophee des Champions trophy in Tel Aviv on July 31.