Lionel Messi names manager who 'changed football' with 'special team' reference

Rwittika Chakraborty

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Lionel Messi names manager who 'changed football' with 'special team' reference image

Lionel Messi has recently recalled his golden days at Barcelona, during which he also named the manager, who according to the Argentine, 'changed football'.

After graduating from La Masia, Messi started his senior career with Barcelona in 2004, and during his 17 years at the club, he has played under 9 different coaches.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner won 34 trophies with the Catalan club, including ten La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues, among others.

Overall in his ongoing playing career, the 37-year-old has been coached by 14 managers.

And now, Messi has named the one whom he found to be exceptional and it happens to be a coach from his days at Barcelona.

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Which manager did Lionel Messi claim to be 'from another world'?

Messi recently heaped praise on one of his former managers, Pep Guardiola, and claimed that the Catalan manager altered the course of the game. The 54-year-old became Barcelona's first team head coach in 2008 and continued till 2012.

During those four years, Guardiola did wonders with the Spanish squad, which included stars like Xavi, Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets among others alongside Messi. The tactician won 14 trophies with Barcelona, including three league titles and two Champions Leagues.

While speaking about the current Man City boss, Messi mentioned (comments via @AlbicelesteTalk on X) how Guardiola's tactics for Barcelona inspired other teams, while crediting his former squad as a 'special team.'

"Pep Guardiola is from another world. He’s different, he sees things no one else does. He changed football. Everyone wanted to copy us. In fact, he kind of did harm to football, because people tried to play like our Barcelona. But we were a special team… that midfield Xavi, Busi, Iniesta, everything was perfect between players and coach," said Messi.

 

Messi has netted 211 goals and provided 94 assists in 219 appearances across competitions for Barcelona under Guardiola's leadership.

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Rwittika Chakraborty

Rwittika Chakraborty is a content producer for The Sporting News. Based in India, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from SRM Institute of Science and Technology.