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Lionel Messi highlights one regret from Pep Guardiola’s time at Barcelona.
Pep Guardiola’s excellent game and a relentless Lionel Messi, who was surrounded by a number of other brilliant players in their own right, created the greatest period in Barcelona’s history. However, the Argentine regrets one thing about those four years.
The two brought each other to a new level by winning a sextuple, three La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, and two Champions Leagues. Messi started his run to seven Ballon D’Or awards and secured the highest-scoring calendar year ever by scoring 91 goals.
Speaking to Universo Valdano, Messi explained that it was a unique experience.
“It was an extraordinary stage because everything came off. On the one hand, Guardiola came, who taught me and made me grow. On the other, it was a unique generation. It was impressive to go to play in any field, since we were going to win no matter who the opposition was, and the way we were going to do it, having 80 percent of possession.”
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“If I regret anything, it’s not having enjoyed the day-to-day more, because you’re in a bubble. To enjoy how he prepared the matches, how we were going to play the rival. We made it so easy and it was so natural, that we didn’t realize what we were doing. With the passage of time and throughout my career you realize that it was something unique.”
Equally, it is hard to appreciate success at the time and Messi was still in his early twenties at the time. Sport carried his comments as he continued on Guardiola.
“He did a lot of damage to football, because it seemed so easy that everyone wanted to play the same. Then I met many ‘Guardiolas’ out there and it helped me to realise what we did”.
“Guardiola has something special to watch the games, prepare them and to communicate”
Despite coming close to repeating their success under Luis Enrique, neither Messi nor Barcelona has been able to do so since. According to reports, Messi did not have Manchester City as an option when he left Barcelona last summer, but if he had, Guardiola might have convinced him to join the team at the Etihad.