Lionel Messi , who won numerous titles under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona , ​​was full of praise for his former coach, considering him the best of his career.

In an interview with ESPN, the Argentine star, who currently plays for Inter Miami in MLS, highlighted the qualities that, in his opinion, make the Catalan coach of Manchester City special. “For me, he’s unique. There are extraordinarily good coaches, but he has something different. He’s the best of them all,” Messi stated.

The forward elaborated on his admiration, highlighting Guardiola’s ability to analyze the game and communicate his ideas. “In the way he sees things, prepares for games, and transmits them to the players… he’s very complete. He went to other places and continued to win. Not just by winning, but by the way his teams play,” he added.

Currently competing in the MLS final against Vancouver, Messi also addressed the future of the Argentine national team, expressing confidence for the 2026 World Cup, but with caution.

“The national team is a group that will try again, give their all, and fight. Then, because of small details, you can be left out,” he warned.

To illustrate the difficulty of winning a World Cup, Messi recalled the victorious campaign in Qatar. “Both against the Netherlands and against France , we were far superior and ended up going to penalties. Then, we had the ‘beast’ Dibu ( Emiliano Martínez ) who made us win, but you can get to penalties and not win. It’s very difficult to win a World Cup,” he concluded.