messi: Combined XI of Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning 2008-09 Barcelona and 2022-23 Manchester City teams

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City finally got their hands on the one trophy that eluded them despite all the domestic dominance. Early in June, Pep Guardiola's City team beat Inter Milan 1-0 to finally reach the pinnacle of European football.

Manchester City became only the eighth team in European football to achieve the exceptional feat of a treble, winning the FA Cup, Premier League, and the UEFA Champions League.

With this win, Pep Guardiola further stamped his claim of being the greatest manager in European football and became the first manager to win a treble twice. The Catalan manager achieved this feat first in his debut season as a top flight manager with his boyhood club Barcelona back in 2008-09 season.

There have been talks on social media as to how this irresistable Machester City treble winning side would have fared against the legendary Barcelona treble winners of 2009. In this article we will look at things a little differently and try to accomplish the impossible task of coming up with a combined XI of the two historic squads.

Goalkeeper

Ederson vs Victor Valdes is a tough one to call, both exceptional shot stoppers and adept with the ball at their feet. Ederson just edges it with his incredibly wide passing range and his ability to build play up from the back, an attribute which Pep Guardiola rates highly in his goalkeepers.

The Brazilian shot-stopper was signed from Benifca in 2017 for a fee of €40 million. Since then he has been incredibly consistent and has been a key member of Pep Guardiola's trophy laiden spell at the Etihad. He has kept a whopping 139 clean sheets in 289 games across competitions. The 29-year-old has been referred to as the perfect modern day goalkeeper and he is the man between the sticks in our combined XI.

Defense

Dani Alves

Dani Alves was signed from Sevila in the summer of 2008 and seamlessly fit into Pep Guardiola's style of play. The marauding right-back worked tirelessly up and down the right side of the pitch and contributed heavily in attack. His accurate crosses and relentless energy were key to Barcelona's attacking threat on the right wing.

Often regarded as one of the greatest full-backs in history, Alves forged a formidable partnership with Lionel Messi in attack. The Brazilian can be regarded as the perfect Pep Guardiola full-back.

Carles Puyol (Captain)

A natural leader on and off the pitch, Carels Puyol's grit, determination and 'never- say-die' attitude make him a natural captaincy candidate for our combined XI. The uncompromising defender was regarded as one of the best centre-backs of the game under Pep Guardiola. Brut physical strength, undeniable commitment and resilience were his biggest strengths.

Despite the physical and mental aspect of the game being the essence of the Spaniard's game, his ability to organise the defense and defensive ability were world class. The lion-hearted defender will be the one to lead the out of the tunnel.

Gerard Pique

Gerard Pique was an elegant defender who had towering presence and excellent game-reading ability. He became a strong pillar for the Barcelona treble winning side at a young age. Pep Guardiola brought him back to the Camp Nou after his time at Manchester United and a loan spell at Real Zaragoza. Pique and Puyol became one of the most formidable centre-back pairing in the world for Barcelona.

Gerard Pique, now retired from professional football, was one of the best ball-playing centre backs in the game, if not one of the best-ever. His ability to recieve the ball from the goaleeper and inititate attacks with his wide passing range and distibution is what made him such a key player in the Guardiola setup.

Ruben Dias

Rounding off the backline is the Portugese defensive stalwart, Ruben Dias. Manchester City signed the robust centre back from Benfica for a fee of €68 million, since then Dias has been an integral part of Guardiola's defensive unit.

Possesing unwavering awareness, ability to anticipate situations and impeccable timing in his tackles, Dias is one of the best defenders in the world at the moment.

With Dani Alves bombing up the field on the right hand side, Ruben Dias will provide much needed solidity and balance on the left side of defense. He would perfectly capture the essence of Pep Guardiola's recent tendency of fielding a centre-back in the left-back position.

Midfield

Rodrigo Hernandez (Rodri)

Rodri was signed from Atletico Madrid in 2019, for a fee of €70M, since then he has made the holding midfield position his own. The formidable defensive midfielder has strong physical presence, tactical awareness and tackling ability which provides much needed balance to the Manchester City midfield.

The defensive midfield position is one of the most important position in a Pep Guardiola set up, Rodri has done this job flawlessly since his arrival. The Spaniard possesses exceptional passing range and thunderous long range strikes, one of which turned out to be the winner in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.

Xavi Hernandez

Arguably the most important player for the Barcelona's Tiki-taka playing style, Xavi made the Barcelona team tick. His exquisite playmaking abilities, fantastic vision, and awareness of the game helped him dictate the play and control the tempo of the game.

Xavi had one of the greatest seasons by a midfielder in 2008-09, where he was directly involved in 38 goals, his greatness extends far beyond statistics, though. Xavi was the heartbeat of the great Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola and it's hard to imagine if they would have hit those levels of greatness without him.

Andres Iniesta

Xavi's midfield partner in crime for majority of his career, Andres Iniesta mesmerised the Camp Nou with his excuisite dribbling skills and immaculate vision. One of the most technically gifted players the game has ever seen, combined with his threaded through balls, he could unlock even the most stubborn defenses.

Andres Iniesta played a fair few games as a false left winger throughout his career. His versatility and technical brilliance helped him produce world-class performances from this position.

The scorer of the winning goal in 2010 FIFA World Cup final was the creative force behind so much that the Pep Guardiola led Barcelona team achieved. Iniesta mesmerised fans all over Europe with his majestic grace.

Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne has been the most consistent top level performer for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and 2022-23 season was no different. Most of the play at City goes through the Belgian maestro, his drive and explosiveness in the midfieldis a real asset

The dazzling midfielder can change the game in a blink of an eye with his exceptional vision, pin point crosses and thunderous strikes. He gave a whopping 31 assists in 49 games across competitions in City's treble-winning 2022-23 season.

Forwards

Lionel Messi

What can be said that hasn't been said about Lionel Messi? He's perhaps the greatest player to ever grace the game. Messi was the catalyst for Barcelona's success in the 2008-09 season under Pep Guardiola, scoring 38 goals and assisting further 19 goals.

Under Guardiola, Messi reached heights of greatness, his mesmerising dribbling ability and lethal goalscoring left the defenses dumb-struck. Messi also won the first of his record breaking seven Ballon d'Or awards in 2009.

Erling Haaland

Prolific! That's the word that perfectly defines Erling Haaland. The Norwegian hitman scored a Premier League record-breaking 36 goals and a total of 52 goals across all competitions in his debut season at Manchester City.

The striker gave Pep Guardiola's City a different dimension and made them more dangerous with his lethal finishing, lightning speed and a dominant areial presence. With so much creativity Haaland will have a lot of chaces to feed on in this combined XI.

This combined XI represents the absolute peak of Pep Guardiola's two treble winning campaigns. We can only imagine the havoc this XI would wreck on the oppsition if it ever was to take the field together.

Edited by Shardul Sant