International Players

Champions League: Pep Guardiola's wish for Lionel Messi ahead of PSG's match with Manchester City

By Elijah Odetokun

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has wished that Lionel Messi will be available for the Champions League match between PSG and Manchester City.
 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has wished that Lionel Messi will be available for the Champions League match between PSG and Manchester City.  

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It is not a secret the love, admiration and respect shared between Lionel Messi and his former manager Pep Guardiola. The two worked together at Barcelona for four years and won 14 trophies together and Messi had some of his best numbers in his Barcelona record during that time.. Since Guardiola's departure from Barcelona in 2012, the two have not had the opportunity of working together again, but regularly keep in touch and wish each other well.

 

Much to the surprise of the whole football world Lionel Messi left Barcelona after financial fair play rules didn't allow Barcelona to register his new contract. He has since joined PSG but has struggled to settle in at the Paris club, he is yet to score a goal and missed the last two games due to an injury he picked up in his third match against Lyon. Every manager will want Messi to miss a match against him because he gives his team an advantage but Guardiola wants Messi to be fit enough to play against him.

 

What Guardiola said about Messi at PSG

Pep Guardiola calls seeing Lionel Messi at another club other than Barcelona very surprising but wants him to be available for their crunch Champions League tie. "It was a surprise for everyone that Messi left Barcelona but that's what happened. Everyone now accepts it.A long time ago you couldn't imagine it but it happened. In life itself you never know what happens. I'm pretty sure he'll be happy in Paris. His career is exceptional. Hopefully tomorrow he can play for the benefit of the game."

 

What is Messi's record playing for Pep Guardiola?

Lionel Messi played for Pep Guardiola for four years at Barcelona and those years are one of the best of the career of both player and manager. Lionel Messi played 219 games for Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and scored an amazing 211 goals, to make it even more ridiculous, he added 97 assists, which means in 219 games for Pep Guardiola Messi added 308 goals contribution, which is more than 30% of his total career contributions. It explains why the two hold each other in high respect. In Guardiola's final season at Barcelona, Messi scored 73 goals in 60 games, 50 goals in 38 La Liga games and also 91 goals in the 2012 calendar year.

 

What are Messi's numbers against Guardiola?

Pep Guardiola has managed German club Bayern Munich and English club Manchester City since leaving Barcelona. He has played against Barcelona four times, all of which have been in the UEFA Champions League. The first meeting was in 2015 when Bayern Munich played Barcelona in the semifinals, Barcelona won 5-3 on aggregate on their way to lifting the 2015 title, Messi scored two goals over the two legs including that ridiculous dribble of Jerome Boateng. The second time they met was in the group stages of the 2016/17 season, Messi scored four goals including a hattrick over both legs.

 


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