Barcelona news: 'It was my era!', says ex-striker who claims it was him, not Messi, who made club win under Guardiola

What's the story?

Former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o has boldly claimed that he was the player responsible for Barcelona's success under former manager Pep Guardiola and not current Barcelona captain Lionel Messi.

The Cameroonian further said former teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez will testify to his claims.

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In case you didn't know...

Barcelona enjoyed one of their best eras under Guardiola between 2008 and 2012 and emerged as one of the best footballing teams in modern football.

Under the current Manchester City boss, the Catalan giants won two Champions League titles, three La Liga trophies, two Copa del Reys, two Club World Cups and five Euro Super Cups.

Guardiola also became the first manager in the history of football to win six honours in one calendar year after lifting six official trophies in 2009.

During his four-year-stint at Camp Nou, Guardiola had a rocky relationship with Eto'o and thought the striker's feud with Ronaldinho was dividing the team.

The heart of the matter

Eto’o, who currently plays for Qatar Sports Club, has now claimed that Barcelona's successes during the Guardiola era was because of him and not Messi. He also alleged that the City boss did not understand his players at Camp Nou.

Speaking to beIN Sport, he said,

"Pep has lived his whole life in Barcelona, but in the years I spent in Barcelona, he didn’t understand the squad. He didn’t live the life of our group."

"I said to Guardiola, you’ll apologize to me, because it’s me that will make Barcelona win, it’s not Messi."

"It was the situation back then. Messi would come later, but you can ask Xavi, Iniesta and others, that was my era."

What's next?

Barcelona are currently preparing to face Premier League outfit Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash later tonight.