Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola seems to have made a strong case for why he believes Lionel Messi should go back to Barcelona.
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Having spent four successful seasons as his coach in Spain, Guardiola appears to be fully behind the Argentine's potential return to the Catalan club ahead of the expiration of his deal at Paris Saint-Germain.
In an interview, the 52-year-old insisted that Messi is largely responsible for the joyous times the Blaugrana have experienced in their recent history, and that he would like to see the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner back in a Barca shirt so he can get an appropriate farewell.
"I'm a Barcelona fan, I've got my tickets [at Camp Nou], and I just hope that one day we can say goodbye to him as he deserves," he told ESPN.
"He's the greatest player of all time. In the last 12 years or so, Barcelona had a 'boom' and that wouldn't have been possible without him. And I'm not talking about numbers, but rather his involvement in the play, his beauty, his efficiency, everything."
Guardiola went on to insist a player with Messi's importance needs to be celebrated properly, before saying he hopes to be at the Camp Nou for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's final goodbye.
"I never would have thought that it would end as it did. I'm convinced what president [Joan] Laporta loves Leo, and since he left, he has said [Messi] deserves to have a farewell for the important figure that he is," he continued.
"Leo helped our club [Barcelona] become much greater than when he arrived. When a person is so big, you have to say goodbye in the right way. He left because of very difficult financial circumstances, for thousands of reasons that I'm not going to get into.
"I hope the day comes when I'm in my seat [at the Camp Nou] and I can stand up and applaud, and say goodbye to Leo as he deserves. And I know that Joan [Laporta] is going to try, and Leo too, and he and his family will receive all the love that Barcelona fans have for him, with all the gratitude and respect for what he did for the club."
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Messi and Guardiola celebrated an incredible 14 trophies together in Spain before the latter's departure in 2012, including three LaLiga and two UEFA Champions League titles.
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