Lionel Messi is widely considered to have reached the pinnacle of his career as a striker when playing under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona from 2008 to 2012.Together, the pair won three La Liga championships and two Champions League trophies.
The two remain very appreciative of one another, with Guardiola being called ‘special’by the 35-year-old forward and the Manchester City manager claiming Leo is the greatest player in history.A youthful Messi, whose season-high goal total was just 17 before Guardiola’s arrival, scored at an explosive pace when Pep returned to the Catalan giants, this time as a manager.
The Argentine’sinfluence helped transform Guardiola’s Barca from a great team of their age into one of the finest teams of all time. Thisinitiateda period of great domestic dominance for the Camp Nou outfit.
The recordErling Haaland broke that was previously owned byLionel Messi
Since Lionel Messi came into prominence, a few players have been able to equal or surpass his accomplishments.However, Erling Haaland scored a goal in Manchester City‘s 4-0 Premier League triumph over Southampton at the Etihad Stadium thisweekend, surpassing the Argentine’sgoalscoring record underGuardiola.
With each game he plays forCity, the Norwegian sensation further cements his place in soccer chronicles as one of the best goalscorers at the moment. His current stats of 20goals in 13appearancesfortheSky Blues in all competitions are a realrepresentation of his actual quality.
With his side already leading 3-0, Haaland extended his scoring rampage with a sweeping left-footed drive in the 65th minute to put them up fourgoals at home. Henow has the longest scoring streak of any player managed by Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, overtaking Lionel Messi’s record set during his time with the club.
Between October and November2010, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winnerscored in nine straight matches for Barca, racking upa total of 15 goals during a good stretch for the Spaniard’ssquad at Camp Nou.Haaland, on the other hand, has now nettedin 10 games in a row for Guardiola’s Man City.