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According to Guardiola's greatest player, not everybody should aim to play like the former Barcelona head coach
Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi recently shared his thoughts on his former coach Josep Guardiola's influence on football in an interview during the Albiceleste’s Copa America title defence.
Messi points out confusion with Guardiola’s tactics
Messi and Guardiola, who had an iconic player-coach relationship at Barcelona, experienced tremendous success together, winning multiple LaLiga titles and Champions League trophies, and the Spaniard’s tactical approach has since been widely adopted by many coaches at various levels.
While acknowledging Guardiola's genius, Messi highlighted a significant downside: the 'confusion' his style has caused in the football world.
Barcelona’s record goalscorer told journalists, “The Guardiola era has caused a bit of confusion. Everyone wants to play like that now.
“At that age, what happened with me needs to happen for these kids... we shouldn’t take away their spontaneity.”
Guardiola and Messi’s relationship
Despite his critique, Messi was quick to acknowledge the profound impact Guardiola had on his own game. Before working with Guardiola, Messi admitted he didn't pay much attention to tactics.
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However, under Guardiola's guidance, he learned invaluable lessons about tactics, spaces, and ball possession, and he affirmed this, saying, "It was Guardiola who taught me a lot about tactics, spaces, ball possession.”
This education helped Messi evolve into one of the greatest players in football history, as the Argentine star won the coveted Ballon d’Or award as the best player on the planet in all four seasons he spent with Guardiola at Barcelona.
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