Pep Guardiola has lavished praise on Lionel Messi, likening him to sporting legends Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, as he declared the Argentine the best footballer ever.
During his four-year tenure at Barcelona, where he and Messi clinched three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies, Messi netted an astonishing 211 goals in just 219 appearances under Guardiola's guidance.
"For me it's easy to say he's the best of all time, but the stars came together at the right moment," Guardiola expressed during an appearance on the Italian TV show Che Tempo Che Fa.
"The GOAT? Maybe that's a lack of respect to Pele and Maradona, but for me, he is," said Guardiola.
Guardiola, who has never shied away from ranking Messi as the ultimate football great, reiterated his admiration following Messi's pivotal role in Argentina's World Cup triumph in 2022, where he scored seven goals.
"Everyone has an opinion but nobody can doubt that he is there, with the greatest of all time," Guardiola commented post-World Cup. "For me I said many times, he is the best, but it will be difficult to understand.
"A player can appear and compete with what he has done in the last 50 years to 70 years, but the people who saw Pele or [Alfredo] Di Stefano or Maradona, they can say their favourite. In their opinions they are sentimental, you know? ".
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Guardiola, in his Italian TV appearance, heaped praise on Messi's World Cup triumph but maintained: "But on the other side, 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."
When quizzed about taking over as England manager, Guardiola clarified: "I haven't finished my career at Manchester City yet, I still have to think about it."
He also dismissed rumours by stating: "It's not true that I'll be the England coach. I haven't decided anything yet, if I had decided my future at Manchester City I would say so, anything can happen in life."
