“He has something special”- Messi hails Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola, the current manager of Manchester City, has been referred to by Lionel Messi as the best coach he has ever worked with.

Between 2008 and 2012, Guardiola led Barcelona to 14 major trophies, including three league titles and two Champions Leagues.

Messi has only won Europe’s top club prize once in the decade since Guardiola left Camp Nou (in the 2014-15 season), while the City manager has yet to replicate his continental exploits with Barcelona.

Guardiola, on the other hand, is without a doubt the best coach Messi has ever worked with, and he believes that others’ attempts to emulate him have hurt the game.

When asked by Movistar if Guardiola was the best head coach he had ever played for, Messi responded: “Without a doubt.

“He has something special, above all how he watched and prepared for matches and how he communicates, because of how he transmitted it to you.

“Guardiola did football a lot of harm, because he made it look so easy and so simple that everyone wanted to copy him.

“Later I found many ‘Guardiolas’ out there, and you realise what we did and what that was.”

After recovering from Achilles tendon inflammation last week, Messi warmed up for his fifth World Cup campaign with Argentina by starting Paris Saint-5-0 Germain’s demolition of Auxerre on Sunday.