Lionel Messi pays glowing tribute to Pep Guardiola – ‘For me, he is the best of all’ | OneFootball

Former FC Barcelona captain and club legend Lionel Messi paid tribute to his former mentor and another Blaugrana icon, Pep Guardiola, in a recent interview with ESPN.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner enjoyed one of the most successful spells of his career at Barça with Guardiola at the helm of affairs, and the pair have always shared a special relationship.

Messi’s praise for Guardiola

As such, Messi did not hesitate to describe Guardiola as the best coach he has had throughout his career.

“For me, he is unique. There are extraordinarily good coaches, but he has something different. For me, he is the best of all,” said Messi.

Not stopping there, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner stated how Guardiola’s brilliance is not only demonstrated through the titles he has won, but also through the playing style his teams adopt.

“In his vision, his game plan, his communication with the players… he’s incredibly well-rounded. He went elsewhere and kept winning. Not just because of the wins, but because of the way his teams play,” Messi added about the current Manchester City boss.

A special bond. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Messi on Argentina’s World Cup chances

Looking to the future, Messi, who plays for Inter Miami currently, feels strong enough to play in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and believes Argentina have a chance to defend their title. However, he warned of the enormous difficulty of the tournament.

“The national team is a group that will try again, give it their all, and fight. Then, small details can knock you out; a World Cup is very difficult,” commented Messi.

To illustrate his point, Messi recalled the tense penalty shoot-outs his team had to go through in Qatar en route to winning the World Cup.

“We were far superior against both the Netherlands and France, and we ended up going to penalties; then we had the beast that was Dibu (Emiliano Martinez), who helped us win, but you can get to penalties and not win,” he insisted.

For now, Messi’s focus is on winning another trophy with Inter Miami as they get set to play Thomas Muller’s Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS Cup final this weekend.