Since First Meeting, Guardiola Knew Messi Will Be the Key to Barcelona’s Success

DBasia.news –  Former Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola, gave details related to Barcelona’s success while still under his care. Guardiola revealed that since he first saw Lionel Messi playing, he knew that Barcelona would win many titles.

Guardiola, who now coaches Manchester City, served in Barcelona from 2008 to 2012. In that period, Barca successfully grabbed 14 titles, including two Champions League, three Spanish La Liga, and two Copa del Rey.

Messi became an inseparable figure from the glorious story in which the Argentine attacker developed rapidly into one of the best footballers of all time. Guardiola also told his first encounter with Messi.

“I have been told by someone that there is one very good player in the squad, he is very young but he is able to score a lot of goals. I didn’t know him,” Guardiola told Catalunya Radio.

“One day, I saw him and his father at the Nike store. I saw him, he looked small and shy. In my heart I said, ‘Is this figure as good as what they say?’

 “Then we started the preseason in Scotland, we won 6-1 and 5-0. He scored three goals in one match. I immediately thought, with him, we would win everything, “he added.

Guardiola then also praised the culture of togetherness in the Blaugrana squad. He claimed to still establish contact with his former players at Barca to this day. According to him, interaction outside the field is positively related to success on the field.