“We were not aware at the time of what we were doing” – Lionel Messi opens up on biggest ‘regret’ while playing for Barcelona under Pep Guardiola

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi recently reminisced about the Blaugrana's immensely successful period under Pep Guardiola's management.

The Spanish manager was appointed in 2008, and he made them arguably the best club during that period. He won three La Liga titles, two UEFA Champions League trophies, and many more before departing in 2012.

Known for their possession-based football and ruthless ability on the ball, Guardiola's Barcelona dominated club football like no one else.

Lionel Messi, who was a central figure in the team, shared the confidence Guardiola instilled in them during that time. He told Universo Valdano (via ESPN):

"It was an extraordinary era. Everything came together. Guardiola came in and taught us what he did and we had a unique generation of players. It was amazing to go into games knowing we would win whoever we were up against. Obviously, there were still defeats, painful ones, but we had that confidence."

Lionel Messi also shared how he regretted not enjoying the era as much as he would have liked and heaped praise on Guardiola:

"I regret not having enjoyed that era more. I regret not enjoying the day-to-day more, the training, how Guardiola prepared for games. All of it. It felt so easy, so natural that we were not aware at the time of what we were doing."

The former Barcelona man added:

"With time, you realise that it was unique. In that sense, Guardiola did a lot of bad to football because everyone wanted to copy us. I have seen a lot of Guardiolas since and you realise what we did. Without a doubt, he is [the best coach I have had]. He has something special: how he sees games, prepares for games, how he communicates."

Barcelona also won the historic sextuple, winning all six major trophies available in 2009. Bayern Munich became the only other team in men's football to achieve the feat in 2020.

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Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland's comparison with Lionel Messi

Erling Haaland joined Manchester City in the summer from Borussia Dortmund. Since then, he has registered an exceptional 23 goals in 18 matches across competitions.

He scored a hat-trick when the Cityzens beat rivals Manchester United 6-3 in the Premier League on October 2. After the match, Guardiola was asked about the comparisons between Haaland and Lionel Messi, to which he replied (via Roy Nemer):

"The difference, Erling needs maybe all his mates, you know to do it. Unbelievable. Messi had the ability for himself to do it."

The former Barcelona talisman is now running the show for Paris Saint-Germain, even at the age of 35. He has registered 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 matches across all competitions this campaign.