Lionel Messi's retirement will cause Barcelona huge problems says Pep Guardiola
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has been absolutely vital for Barcelona’s stunning form in the last decade and former manager Pep Guardiola feels that Messi’s retirement will leave a huge void in the Barcelona team.
The Argentina star has scored 22 goals and set up 10 more in 25 league appearances this season to help the Blaugrana take a nine-point lead at the top of La Liga standings.
"When Leo Messi quits football there will probably be a huge sink-hole in Barcelona," Guardiola joked in an interview with RAC1 on Friday.
There won't be Trebles, but of course, if Barcelona keeps doing things well, they might be able to fight against Bayern Munich."
The Bayern Munich manager also praised Lionel Messi calling him the ideal pupil of the legendary late Johan Cruyff.
"Messi is the [Barcelona] player who runs the least and in that he was Cruyff's best pupil,"
Guardiola will be taking over at Manchester City this summer and recent rumours have linked Messi to City although he has never indicated his desire to leave the Camp Nou after 15 successful years at the club.
Argentina overcome Chile 2-1 in World Cup qualifier
Lionel Messi's return sparked Argentina to a 2-1 win over Chile in Santiago on Thursday, breathing new life into their South American qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup.
Messi, who had missed the first four games last year with a knee injury, laid on the 24th-minute winner for defender Gabriel Mercado after Angel Di Maria had cancelled out Felipe Gutierrez's opener for Chile.
Argentina, beaten finalists at the last World Cup in Brazil, moved up to fourth in the 10-team group on eight points from five games. The top four qualify automatically for Russia with the fifth-ranked team going into an intercontinental playoff.
"We had to win in whatever way we could," Messi told broadcasters TyC Sports. "I was glad to be back to help this group of players who fight for every point to the death."
Lionel Messi’s Argentina next face Bolivia in a crucial World Cup qualifier match for both teams.