"Pep Guardiola did football a lot of harm because he made it look so easy" - PSG superstar Lionel Messi makes incredible claim on ex-Barcelona boss 

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) attacker Lionel Messi has claimed that his former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola makes football look so easy.

Guardiola coached Messi at Barca for four seasons, and in that time, the PSG forward made 219 appearances, scoring an astounding 211 goals and contributing 94 assists.

The Spanish tactician led Barcelona to Champions League glory twice, the La Liga title three times, and the Copa del Rey on three occasions.

Guardiola left the Nou Camp in 2012, but his hold on football has not faltered.

Lionel Messi was speaking to ESPN when he jokingly claimed that Guardiola had harmed football because of how managers looked to replicate his style.

He said while smiling (via Daily Mail):

"Guardiola did football a lot of harm because he made it look so easy and so simple that everyone wanted to copy him. Later I found many 'Guardiolas' out there and you realise what we did and what that was."

The Argentine was then asked if Guardiola was the best coach he'd ever played under, to which he replied:

"Without a doubt. He has something special, above all how he watched and prepared for matches and how he communicates, because of how he transmitted it to you."

Guardiola has continued to dominate football in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and the Premier League with Manchester City.

He won three German league titles and two DFB-Pokals with the Bavarians during 2013-2016.

The Spaniard took over at City in 2016 and has overseen a stranglehold on the English top tier.

The Cityzens have won the league title four times, the League Cup four times, and the FA Cup once during his time in charge.

Guardiola boasts a record of 579 wins, 106 draws, and 97 defeats in 782 games during his managerial career.

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Lionel Messi's teammate Neymar wanted to play under former Barcelona manager Guardiola back in 2016

Neymar wanted to play under Guardiola

Lionel Messi's PSG teammate Neymar never got to play under Guardiola at Barcelona.

The 30-year-old attacker arrived at the Nou Camp from Brazilian outfit Santos for €88 million just a year after the Spanish coach had departed.

Neymar excelled at Barcelona, making 186 appearances, scoring 105 goals, and providing 76 assists.

However, if the Brazilian could play under any manager, it would be Guardiola.

He told RedBull.com back in 2016:

"Yes there is one: Guardiola is a guy that I really admire and who I would love to work with."

Neymar may have had that opportunity earlier this summer when PSG reportedly offered City the chance of a swap deal involving the Brazilian and Bernardo Silva.

Unfortunately for the PSG attacker, Guardiola denied such a move but did lavish praise on the player:

"Neymar is an incredible player and, with the information I have, an incredibly nice guy. So leave him calm, let him express the huge talent he has in Paris alongside Lionel Messi and all the big stars they have."