Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, has revealed what Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi did for him during their time together at Barcelona.
Guardiola said he owes Messi because the Argentine captain allowed him to sign a contract during their time together.
Guardiola and Messi were a hugely impressive player-and-coach duo.
The pair had a glittering trophy-laden partnership winning two Champions Leagues and three LaLiga titles along with nine other major silverware.
And Guardiola has now lauded the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, comparing him to basketball legend Michael Jordan.
“What does Messi mean? Everything, everything, Messi is like Michael Jordan,” Guardiola told Ole.
“It is like when Phil Jackson could feel that feeling that everything was flowing and there were no problems. I owe him a good bottle of wine to thank him for the contracts he allowed me to sign.”
He added, “We had an amazing group of players who helped him [Messi] when we were together at Barcelona in those four years.
“There were a lot of stars at the right time and the right age for everyone, with Xavi [Hernández], Carles Puyol, and Andres Iniesta too.”