Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has perhaps managed a whole host of players who must have left him mesmerised.
Guardiola had the pleasure of working closely with Lionel Messi at Barcelona from 2008 until 2012 — a player who never cease to surprise over the course of his career.
Similarly, the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and David Villa are other players who must have left the decorated coach in awe.
At Bayern Munich as well, the two-time treble-winning manager coached greats such as Arjen Robben, Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm and Robert Lewandowski to name a few.
Just eight games into his time at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola named Kevin De Bruyne as the best player he has ever managed apart from Messi, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“Messi is on a table on his own. No one else is allowed. But the table beside, Kevin can sit there.”
“Kevin is outstanding player.”
“Without the ball, he is the first fighter. With the ball, he is clear. He sees absolutely everything.”
“He makes the right decision in the right moment every single time.”
Guardiola admits Man City superstar left him stunned from day one
The fact that the Catalan tactician was ready to make such a huge claim about the Belgian international goes to show how impressed he was at the time.
At the Etihad Stadium, there have been plenty of other players who Pep Guardiola has lauded.
Guardiola once praised Bernardo Silva as one of the best players he has ever managed as well.
Erling Haaland is another player who has a habit of making the impossible possible on a football pitch.
The £375,000-a-week man has always been destined for greatness since he broke through at RB Salzburg.
Ahead of Manchester City’s upcoming contest against Inter Milan in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola was quizzed about whether Haaland’s tremendous goal record has taken him aback since he signed for the club in 2022.
Guardiola said via HaytersTV: “A little bit, yeah. Do you know why? I played 11 years as a professional. As a football player, I was a football player in the past, you know?”
“I scored 11 goals. This guy, four games, scored nine. So, has one more games, equalise me. So, imagine if it surprised me.”
A testament to how brilliant Erling Haaland is that Pep Guardiola made this admission
Pep Guardiola has worked with some of the greatest strikers in the history of the sport.
Names like Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski and Sergio Aguero spring to mind.
The fact that Haaland’s one of a kind eye for goal left Guardiola surprised is a testament to his brilliance.
Perhaps one reason why Pep Guardiola was particularly surprised by the Norwegian’s incredible goalscoring ability is because he signed for the club as a 23-year-old.
The three-time Champions League-winning manager worked with Aguero (28), Lewandowski (25), Henry (29), Eto’o (27) and Ibrahimovic (26) when they were close to or in the prime years of their careers unlike Haaland.
