Pep Guardiola Named the 6 Greatest Players in Football History

· GiveMeSport

Pep Guardiola named a glittering list of legendary talent, including Lionel Messi.

Pep Guardiola has managed some of football's all-time greats during his glistening managerial career. The Spaniard has achieved huge success at Manchester City , Barcelona , and Bayern Munich , becoming the only coach to win the continental treble twice after finally ending City's UEFA Champions League hoodoo in 2023.

Lionel Messi , Erling Haaland , Andres Iniesta and Robert Lewandowski are just four of a plethora of world-class talent to have plied their trade under Guardiola. His incredible ability to get players to thrive and reach superstardom makes him one of the most desired tacticians to play under.

However, just one of the many legendary talents Guardiola has coached in his career sits among the six he feels are the best players in football history. His selection made in 2022 made for compelling reading as he named past and present heroes who he claimed 'will be eternal':

> "They have done many things for many years, these types of players make our business, our job, a better place. What (they) produced for the feeling for the people."

Lionel Messi was inevitably named in the list of footballing royalty Guardiola gave, and with good reason. The Argentine icon has lit up world football throughout his trophy-laden career, winning the Ballon d'Or a record eight times.

Football's most decorated player's legendary Barcelona feats mostly came under Guardiola. He bagged 211 goals and 94 assists in 219 games under the Spaniard, winning the continental treble in 2009. The legendary forward reached the pinnacle of the sport when captaining Argentina to the World Cup in 2022.

Lionel Messi's career

- Barcelona: 2004-2021 - Paris Saint-Germain: 2021-2023 - Inter Miami: 2023-present - Argentina: 2005-2026

Cristiano Ronaldo has never played under Guardiola, but he's been a thorn in the Spanish tactician's side. The Portuguese goalscoring machine bagged goals for fun in El Clasico clashes against Barcelona during the 2000s.

The Manchester United icon has become football's all-time greatest goalscorer, a player Guardiola has long admired. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's rivalry with Messi has dominated football since the turn of the century. He once said:

> "Cristiano Ronaldo was a monster, and the father of the monster is Messi."

Cristiano Ronaldo's career

- Sporting CP: 2002-2003 - Manchester United: 2003-2009 - Real Madrid: 2009-2018 - Juventus: 2018-2021 - Manchester United: 2021-2022 - Al Nassr: 2022-present - Portugal: 2003-present

Pele left his mark on the sport, and Guardiola thanks to his incredible feats with Brazil during his phenomenal career. The iconic late forward won three World Cups with Selecao , netting 77 goals in 92 caps, a record only recently broken by Neymar .

The Brazilian hero's achievements in football extend beyond the pitch , helping give more recognition to black people in the sport. The football world was heartbroken when he passed away in 2022. Guardiola noted:

> "It's like a good movie, the legacy that we're still talking about him, about a good movie, a good book, because he was so good."

Pele's career

- Santos: 1956-1974 - New York Cosmos: 1975-1977 - Brazil: 1957-1971

Diego Maradona was similar to Pele in that he was vital for Argentina during his playing days and won the World Cup with his national team in 1986. The Napoli legend was a once-in-a-lifetime athlete whose footballing genius captivated fans around the globe.

The creativity of the late Maradona was a sight to behold, and he was also reliable in front of goal. He netted 32 goals and 27 assists in 84 international caps, and he has a lasting legacy because of his enigmatic character and astounding ability with the ball.

Diego Maradona's career

- Argentinos Juniors: 1976-1981 - Boca Juniors: 1981-1982 - Barcelona: 1982-1984 - Napoli: 1984-1991 - Sevilla: 1992-1993 - Newell's Old Boys: 1993-1994 - Boca Juniors: 1995-1997 - Argentina: 1977-1994

Johan Cruyff has to be included in any discussion over footballing cornerstones because the Barcelona great was the face of 'Total Football'. The creativity and grace with which players play nowadays are largely thanks to the Dutchman, who was as formidable in the managerial dugout as he was in attacking midfield.

The three-time Ballon d'Or winner did everything with style on the pitch, a master at dribbling whose skills were usually ridiculous. He won the European Champions Cup three times with Ajax , among many major trophies at his boyhood club. Guardiola said in 2016 :

> "I knew nothing about football before knowing Cruyff."

Johan Cruyff's career

- Ajax: 1964-1973 - Barcelona: 1973-1978 - Los Angeles Aztecs: 1979 - Washington Diplomats: 1980-1981 - Levante (loan): 1981 - Ajax: 1981-1983 - Feyenoord: 1983-1984 - Netherlands: 1966-1977

Franz Beckenbauer is the only non-attacker Guardiola named in his six-man list of footballing royalty, but the German legend was the complete player. A colossus at the back, he's quite possibly the greatest centre-back of all time , definitely the Bundesliga's number one.

Nicknamed 'the Emperor', Beckenbauer captained Germany to the World Cup in 1974 while winning two Ballons d'Or. He also won the European Championships in 1972, and his extraordinary leadership and adaptability between defence and offence led to three European title successes with Bayern Munich .

Frank Beckenbauer's career

- Bayern Munich: 1964-1977 - New York Cosmos: 1977-1980 - Hamburger SV: 1980-1982 - New York Cosmos: 1983 - West Germany: 1965-1977

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