Pep Guardiola has managed quite a lot of superstars during his career spanning from FC Barcelona to Manchester City. But it seems like there is one player who he thinks is the most complete one, and it is none other than Lionel Messi.
Pep recently talked about his latest superstar Erling Haaland who has been in tremendous goal-scoring form this season. Guardiola compared the Norwegian to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. He believes that Haaland could emulate the long-lasting success of the duo if he works hard and remains fit.
He said: “He is so competitive but to reach the Cristiano and Messi levels is a lot of work. They don’t get injured.”
While praising the young superstar, he also drew a comparison between him and Cristiano. Guardiola believes that Haaland and Ronaldo are similar in their features as both are goal machines. But the Man City boss believes that it is Lionel Messi who is the most complete player of them all.
Pep Guardiola: “Haaland is similar to Cristiano and Messi in terms of the number of goals he scores, but Messi is a more complete player. Messi can play anywhere, while Cristiano and Erling are machines.” @footballdaily 🗣️🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/idXrl63mzI
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) April 9, 2023
“Haaland is similar to Cristiano and Messi in terms of the number of goals he scores, but Messi is a more complete player. Messi can play anywhere, while Cristiano and Erling are machines,” said Guardiola.
Messi has recently been branded as a ‘system player’ after a slump of form with PSG. The 7-time Ballon d’Or winner was criticized for his performances for the club after the World Cup. But his former manager believes that the Argentine is the complete package for a soccer player.
Pep Guardiola feels Lionel Messi surpassed Diego Maradona and Pele after World Cup win
This wasn’t the first time that Pep publicly talked about how he felt about Messi. The Spanish coach recently talked about Messi being the GOAT after his World Cup win in Qatar.
Pep Guardiola: “I didn’t see Pele, but Leo is the best player ever. He’s unique.” pic.twitter.com/lqreEIT4rR
— Messi Magic (@MessiMagicHQ) April 3, 2023
Pep stated that even if Messi hadn’t won the mega event, he would have still remained the best player for him. He also stated that people who believed Diego Maradona and Pele were the best players are sentimental with their opinion.
He said: “If he wouldn’t have won the World Cup, the opinion about what he has done for the whole of football [soccer] and my opinion of how he is as a player wouldn’t change absolutely anything. The people who saw Pele or Di Stefano or Maradona, the people can say ‘my favorite’, but these opinions are sentimental.”
It is quite clear who the ‘tiki-taka master’ believes is the best player of all time. Messi probably concluded every argument on the GOAT debate after his exploits in Qatar and being called the complete package by a coach of Guardiola’s caliber is another testimonial of the Argentine’s greatness.