As the seemingly endless debate over Messi’s place among football’s Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T) placing continues, Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola has added his take to the conversation, ranking the Barca legend above football titans Pele and Maradona.

Guardiola shared his thoughts on the popular European talk show “What’s the Weather” on Sunday, as per noted football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

“Leo Messi is the best football player ever, for sure!”.

“Maybe I’m disrespecting Pelé and Diego Maradona but I can’t imagine anyone like Messi, with his consistency”.

“You should try to see what he does every day, just in training… Messi’s unique”.

Guardiola, of course, coached Messi for four years(2008-2012) during his time at La Giant Barcelona, where the pair won a collective 14 trophies before his departure to Bayern Munich.

While the debate around Messi’s greatness would orbit around his rivalry with fellow superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for many, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who lifted a record 46th trophy with Inter Miami, settled that and all arguments around GOAT status following his 2022 World Cup success.