"That’s my wish": What Man City boss Pep Guardiola has said about Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona

Manchester City have always believed that they would be first in line should Lionel Messi ever leave Barcelona. Reports this week suggest Messi could finally be willing to quit the Nou Camp over rising tensions with the club’s hierarchy following Barca's humiliating Champions League exit to Bayern Munich. The rumours have put clubs around the world on red alert. Messi and Guardiola enjoyed a trophy-laden four years together at Barcelona, winning every major club honour available. But given Guardiola’s high-octane system at City, Spanish football expert Graham Hunter believes a reunion may only be possible should the manager leave first. "The number one club who has tried to take Lionel Messi away from Barcelona is Manchester City under their current ownership,” Hunter told talkSPORT in July, before both clubs exited the Champions League "I think Guardiola has doubts about how well Messi will work in the system because of the level of pressure and work off the ball. He’s allowed to do what he wants at Barcelona. But if Guardiola moved on and Messi was free in a year’s time, City’s ownership would go hell for leather to sign him." Guardiola’s assessment of the player’s abilities are in no doubt, having declared him the greatest on several occasions. “He is the best player I have ever seen,” he said following Barcelona’s 2011 Champions League final victory over Manchester United. “The best thing about him is not what he does but how simple he makes everything look,” the City manager said in an interview with L’Esportiu. “He is not just the best player because he can dribble past three or four players, it is because he does it better than anyone in the world.” Guardiola clearly adores his former frontman. When asked in February whether Messi could ply his trade at the Etihad, the Spaniard confessed he hoped Messi finished his career at the Nou Camp. He said: “He is a player from Barcelona and he will stay there, that’s my wish for him to stay in Barcelona. I’m not going to talk about players for other clubs. I think he will finish his career there, that’s my wish.” Source: MEN