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Lionel Messi Welcomes The Idea Of Working With Pep Guardiola Again

Lionel Messi Welcomes The Idea Of Working With Pep Guardiola Again

Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi has said that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is “one of the best coaches in the world.”

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Lionel Messi has revealed that he would be open to the idea of working with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.

The Manchester City manager was in charge of the Spanish club from 2008 to 2012, with the 31-year-old Argentine thriving under his leadership.

During their time together at Barça, Messi and Guardiola won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España and the Champions League on more than one occasion.

In an interview with Marca, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner candidly spoke about the 47-year-old Spaniard and wouldn't mind reuniting with him at some point in the future.

"Although it is difficult, I would like to work with Guardiola again," he said. "He's one of the best coaches in the world.

"It is important to put faith in the boys in the academy. They will see that it is not impossible to make the jump [to the first team].

PA

"We have a great academy and in the future we could play with 11 players from the academy. But it will take time."

The Barcelona captain also broke his silence on finishing fifth for the 2018 Ballon d'Or, while also taking the opportunity to respond to Cristiano Ronaldo's challenge for him to come and play in Italy.

Speaking of his fellow five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Messi believes that his rivalry with the Juventus star "was very healthy and very beautiful for the viewer."




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Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Pep Guardiola, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Champions League, Copa del Rey, La Liga, Barca

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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