Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will not pursue his former talisman Lionel Messi in what would be a record-breaking move for a player.
Guardiola has a close relationship with Messi, formed during his tenure with Barcelona, but the Spanish tactician has made it clear that he has no intention of bringing him to the Etihad – and never has.
“When I left Barcelona and went to Bayern Munich and Manchester City I never asked Messi to come here,” he said (via the MEN).
“I never went to both clubs and said I want this player. I know how important he is for Barcelona. I never made the first step to say I want this player. Never.
“I said a thousand times I want him to stay at Barcelona. I want that.”
Messi and Guardiola
As well as rumours that Guardiola was in hot pursuit of his former star player, reports have also claimed that Messi was angling for a move that would allow him to reunite with his former manager. Guardiola was in charge at the Nou Camp over four seasons from 2008 to 2012.
During that spell, the Spaniard constructed one of the best football teams to have ever played the game which became almost an unstoppable force in European football: Barca captured three La Liga trophies, two Spanish Cups and two Champions League titles in that time.
With Guardiola in the dugout, Barca were truly lethal. His tiki-taka philosophy was played to perfection by midfield maestros Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta.
The trio acted as the calm before the storm which would invariably arrive when Messi, who sometimes appeared inert, decided to inject his mercurial genius into games – a wonderful goal often the end result.
Under the Spanish manager’s tutelage, Messi arguably enjoyed the best spell of his career and achieved seemingly supernatural feats in front of goal.
At the height of his dominance during this era, the diminutive Argentine scored an astonishing 73 goals in 60 games over the 2011/12 season.
It really is Leo’s Liga. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Ur8JqqLIfh
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 16, 2018
City will have to make do without Barcelona’s all-time top scorer for now, but they seem to be coping just fine. Last season the Citizens clinched the league with a record breaking 100 points and they currently sit atop the Premier League table.
Pep Guardiola and co. host Southampton on Sunday at the Etihad… without Messi.
The post Pep Guardiola denies world-record approach for Lionel Messi: ‘I want him to stay at Barcelona’ appeared first on Squawka News.
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