Pep Guardiola, having been the coach behind Lionel Messi’s rise to the top, has always sung the Argentine’s praises. The Spaniard, who enjoyed tremendous success during his time in the Barcelona dugout, has always hailed the Argentine as being the source behind his trophy-laden spell as the Blaugrana boss.
However, the Man City boss has admitted that his initial impression on the South American legend wasn’t great. Speaking to Catalunya Radio, the former midfielder turned manager revealed his thoughts on La Pulga when he first met him.
Guardiola was at the helm at Camp Nou for 247 games and won the Spanish top-flight three times and the Champions League twice, including an unforgettable sextuple. At the heart of everything was Leo, who proved to be unstoppable in a then-unique false-nine role.
According to Guardiola, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was seen in high regard from day one of his managerial spell with his boyhood club. The tactician knew the Catalan giants would win everything after seeing Messi’s skills during a pre-season tour in Scotland but admitted that his first impression was quite different.
"I had already been told by someone from the squad that there was a very good player in the squad. They told me that he was very young but scored many goals and he was very good," Guardiola told Catalunya Radio.
“I did not know him and one day I saw him and his father at a Nike store. I saw him, he looked small and shy and I thought: ‘Is this one as good as they say?’
“We started pre-season in Scotland, we won 6-1, 5-0 and he would score three goals a game for you. I thought that, with him, we would win everything."
Guardiola also spoke highly of the relationship among the players during his time there. The majority of Pep’s starting XI were La Masia graduates who grew very close during their time together on the pitch.
The 48-year-old added: "There was not much time to, but I enjoyed the process of building the team; seeing that the changes we made worked and everything was flowing; how they were brought together, the chemistry, the respect.
"They were a group of friends who went out to dinner often; a group that knew how to move forward in moments of difficulty.
“All this was very good, but the importance of leading such a big club as Barca means that you do not have much time to enjoy it.
"The relationship that we have with those who formed part of that group is insurmountable. There are no championships or world titles that can compensate. We gave each other a lot. But there is a moment, due to the natural process of time, that things end.”
