"He made Barcelona much bigger than it was" - Pep Guardiola wants the Blaugrana to provide Lionel Messi with the farewell he deserves
Pep Guardiola has urged Barcelona to re-sign Lionel Messi so that the Argentine can get the farewell he deserves at Camp Nou. He believes that the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star is responsible for the growth of the Catalan side and should get to leave on his own terms.
Messi had to leave Barcelona in 2021 after the Catalan giants could not renew his contract. He joined PSG on a free transfer and is now set to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Speaking to ESPN, Guardiola claimed that it was time for Messi to return to Barcelona. He wants the forward to end his La Liga career when the time is right and not take a forced decision. He said:
"I hope one day we can say goodbye to Messi with Barcelona as he deserves, he is the best player in history. I am a socio of FC Barcelona and I have my own seats on the field and I hope that the day will come when Leo can enjoy his farewell as he deserves. No one expected him to leave like this and I am convinced that the president is working to see him off in a way that he deserves, he made Barcelona much bigger than it was when he came in."
The Blaugrana are working to get the green signal from La Liga to re-sign the Argentine. They are still in a financial crisis but reportedly have a plan ready to improve their income soon.
Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland vs Lionel Messi
Pep Guardiola managed Lionel Messi for four seasons at Barcelona before moving to Bayern Munich. He is now working with Erling Haaland and was recently asked about the difference between the Norwegian and the Argentine.
The Manchester City manager was quoted by GOAL as saying:
"Haaland is always happy, always smiling. Lionel Messi scored two but not three and was a bit sad because he didn't score the third! Erling is all the time in an incredible mood. Even in the bad moments at the beginning of this season, when people said he couldn't adapt, he arrived at training with a big smile and said hi to everyone.
"He has had an incredible impact, not just on the pitch. Every day in training sessions, in the locker room. I have the feeling that he is so happy with us. He never complains about [being taken off]. He respects me a lot."
Pep Guardiola has also been linked with a move back to Barcelona for some time, but he is staying put at Manchester City. Lionel Messi has offers from Al Hilal and Inter Miami should a move to Camp Nou not materialize.