Lionel Messi Gets 100% Real on the 'Best Manager in the World'

Lionel Messi, a football legend in Argentina, recently reflected on his incredible time at Barcelona, where he played for legendary coach Pep Guardiola and alongside superstars like Xavi and Samuel Eto'o, according to GOAL.

Messi still speaks highly of Guardiola, the coach who led Barcelona to their unprecedented triple. Guardiola's recent Champions League victory with Manchester City is even more convincing to Messi, which the Argentine forward acknowledged.

Messi singled out Luis Suarez, Xavi, Neymar, and Eto'o as the players he felt most comfortable passing to. This recommendation means a lot because Messi is endorsing it.

Messi still has a lot of love for his old team. The current manager of the La Liga champions, Xavi, tried very hard to woo him back to Barcelona, but Messi decided to try something new by signing with Inter Miami of Major League Soccer.

Despite Messi's absence from the European spotlight, he is still widely expected to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or. However, the Argentine has claimed he no longer cares about the famous individual honor.

Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola coached Lionel Messi at Barcelona, where he racked up an incredible 211 goals and 94 assists in 219 games, per Sportskeeda.

Guardiola, one of the best managers in the world, has won an incredible 34 titles during his managing career. His achievements include playing for Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and, currently, Manchester City, all top-tier clubs.

Guardiola led Barcelona to an unprecedented 16 championships during his time there. He subsequently joined Bayern Munich, where he spent three years and added seven more trophies to his collection.

Guardiola has continued his winning ways as the Premier League club Manchester City manager, amassing 13 trophies so far, the most recent being Manchester City's historic win in the UEFA Champions League.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola's squad beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the championship game on June 10.

Rodri scored the game-winning goal in the second half. Guardiola has now won the Champions League a record three times, having previously done it with Barcelona on two separate occasions.

Lionel Messi Retires from World Cup

Incoming Inter Miami star Lionel Messi has made it official: he will not be attending the 2026 World Cup, which will be contested in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Messi finally reached a significant career goal by leading Argentina to win at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Forbes noted.

After leading La Albiceleste to a thrilling penalty shootout victory over France, many supporters began to feel that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner had accomplished everything there was to do in football.

Messi, now 35 years old, announced in a recent interview that he will be retiring from international competition with FIFA.

After being asked if he would consider playing in the 2026 World Cup, Messi replied, "I think not." He said this year's World Cup was his last, and while he will watch the 2026 tournament, he will not participate.

This decision coincides with Messi's rumored departure to Miami, where he would play for Inter Miami, a franchise co-owned by David Beckham.

His contract will reportedly be for two and a half years with an option to extend until 2026.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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