Topics: Pep Guardiola, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has revealed the only player that would make it into his dream XI of players he managed because he is "different from everyone else".
Over the past 16 years, Guardiola has coached some of the all-time greats during spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and most recently Manchester City, where he has won 17 major honours.
From the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Carles Puyol at the Camp Nou; a stint that featured two Champions League titles, to another trophy-laden spell at Bayern with Robert Lewandowski and co.
But one person stands out amongst the rest. "He is different from everyone else," said Guardiola in an interview with Spanish chef Dani García on his YouTube channel.
Advert
You guessed it. That man is Lionel Messi.
After being asked to pick a so-called dream team of players he managed, Guardiola gave an insight into his thinking.
"I can’t. I would do it, but I hold so much affection for many that I don’t want to offend anyone," he said.
"It’s very hard for me to choose between Víctor Valdés, Manuel Neuer, or Ederson, for example. Very difficult. Philipp Lahm or Dani Alves. I would have to make two or three different teams, or it would be very tough for me.
"I have too much love for them. We’ve shared such incredible moments that I can’t pick one because I would select one who is very good at one thing, but the one I don’t choose is better at other things. Except for one, and that is Messi, who would always be there,"
He added: "Messi won you matches and competitions. Without him, we probably wouldn’t have won the Treble or the Sextuple. He is different from everyone else."
Guardiola managed Messi at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, winning three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues, as mentioned above.
In fact, Messi scored a remarkable 221 goals in 219 games under the Catalan's tutelage, transforming his game when he moved into a false nine role and becoming the best player in the world.
For Guardiola, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has always been the greatest of all time.
"Everyone has an opinion but nobody can doubt that he [Lionel Messi] is there, with the greatest of all time," Guardiola said in a press conference after Messi became a world champion.
"For me, I said many times, he is the best.
“It would be difficult to understand that a player can compete with what he has done in the last 50 to 70 years.
“With the people who saw Pele or [Alfredo] Di Stefano or [Diego] Maradona, their opinions are often sentimental.
“If he [Messi] had not won the World Cup, my opinion about what he has done for world football, it wouldn't have changed absolutely anything. Of course, for him it's the final achievement of an incredible career."
