Guardiola: 'Messi made me more competitive than my parents did'

"What does Messi mean to me? Everything. Everything. He made me more competitive than my parents did," Pep Guardiola has told Telemundo.

"We had great players who helped him like Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol. We've won many trophies that we wouldn't have won without him. It was like what Phil Jackson had with Michael Jordan," the former Barcelona boss added.

Among all the managers he was coached by, Leo Messi made the most appearances under Pep Guardiola, 219. He also registered his best-ever goalscoring tally under Guardiola's guidance – 211 goals in all competitions.