Lionel Messi News: 'Without him, we wouldn't have achieved as much'- Guardiola hails Messi's impact on Barcelona

FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2010

What's the story?

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has hailed Lionel Messi's impact on Barcelona during his tenure at the Nou Camp.

Pep Guardiola has admitted that without the presence of Messi, they wouldn't have won as much despite the presence of generational stars.

In case you didn't know...

Guardiola has proved himself to be one of the best coaches of this generation. Under his guidance, Manchester City won the domestic treble in 2018/19 season after winning the Premier League with 100 points in the 2017/18 campaign.

Guardiola enjoyed immense success during his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. He is the most successful coach in the Catalan side's rich history and won 14 trophies during his four season tenure at the Nou Camp.

Lionel Messi has been mesmerizing football fans across the globe with his magic for over a decade now. The Blaugrana captain has broken a plethora of records in his glittering career and has won five Ballon d'Ors owing to his brilliance. Messi was obviously the most pivotal and effective player in the Barcelona squad under Guardiola.

Meanwhile, Messi is still proving he is football's finest with his exploits. The Argentine wizard won the European Golden Shoe, Pichichi award, and ended the season as the highest scorer of Champions League in the recently concluded season.

The heart of the matter

Messi recently stated he developed a lot under Guardiola and the former coach has hailed his former student.

In a recent interview, Guardiola said:

"That the greatest of all time says that about you. I think it's due to Tito, myself and everyone else around in those moments. We can only say thank you."

"Tito always told me that Messi was like the student who went to class and got bored because he already knew everything. We were so fortunate to have him with us."

"We tried to involve him in the game as much as possible. I've said it more than once. There were a lot of generational stars in that team but without him, we wouldn't have achieved as much. He was much more than the cherry on the top of the cake."

What's next?

Messi will take part when Argentina faces hosts Brazil in the Copa America semi-finals.