The Last Dance documentary was one of the biggest talking points in 2020 as itreflected on one of the most emblematic teams in NBA and sports history, the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson.
People have inevitably drawnparallels between those Bulls andother teams from different sports since then, with Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi frequently compared to MJ and Jackson, while the 2008-2012 Barcelona side was oftenlikenedto the six-time NBA champions.
Pep’s Barca is widely regarded as one of, if not the best team in history, having won three La Liga championships, two UEFA Champions League titles, among many other trophies,with a uniquestyle of play. Guardiola has recently revealed the importance ofMessiin his career and why he compareshim to Michael Jordan.
Guardiola compares himself to Phil Jackson to talk about his Barcelona stint with Messi
In an interview with Veronica Brunati of Telemundo Deportes, Guardiola joined the group of people that compare his Barcelona team to the best Chicago Bulls of all time, showing a lot of praise for Messi in the process.
“Messi means everything in my career. He made me more competitive than my parents did,” Guardiola said.“We have won a lot, and without him we would have won as well, but as many titles as we didwith Messi? Impossible.
“I simplycompare Messi with Michael Jordan,” Guardiola continued. “With Messi, I felt like Phil Jackson did when he had Michael Jordan.Jordan won six NBA championships, and I won many trophies with Messi as well.I always say that Messi has made all of us good.”
Pep’s Barcelona drew comparisons with that historic Bulls team as soon as the docuseries became popular, as many people could note the similarities between their successes. The chemistry Messi had under Guardiola was very relatable to that of MJ with Jackson, which is why the soccer community has speculated for a long time with a potential reunion betweenthe Barca legends.
The uncertainty in Messi’s future in the summer of 2020 only fueled those expectations, as the Argentine was close to leaving Barca in 2020. He eventually left a year later, but the reunion didn’t materialize as he signed for PSG.
The Rosario-born winger, however, is under contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2023, just like Guardiola at Manchester City. Could they make the best of that coincidence by joining forces to have one last dance of their own? Only time will tell, but world soccer would certainly love that.