‘Father of that monster’… Pep Guardiola gives his take on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate | OneFootball

There are few men on the planet that understood football and FC Barcelona better than Pep Guardiola. Born and bred in the customs and traditions of the region of Catalonia and the values of Barça, his impact on the sport and on the club is legendary. Even today, the former Barcelona coach continues his career as the manager of a triumphant Manchester City.

Formerly a player for Barcelona as well, Guardiola’s influence on the game spans decades at this point in time. Under the guidance of Johan Cruyff at one stage of his career, he learned from one of the best minds that football has ever witnessed and he went on to become an even greater mind when compared to his former mentor.

Following the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony, however, one in which Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy and Man City’s Rodri was crowned as the winner of the men’s Ballon d’Or award, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach even gave his opinion on why the likes of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta could not win the award like their Spanish midfield compatriot in the past, and he explained that it was because of a certain Barcelona icon, as shown in the video published by ESPN:

“Xavi and Iniesta could not win because of a monster, Messi nobody could beat him.”

However, beyond Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola sent praise towards Cristiano Ronaldo as well by referring to him as a ‘monster’ too, but not without saying that Messi himself was the ‘father’ of that particular monster:

“… Just Cristiano, he (Ronaldo) was a monster, and the father of that monster is Messi. Both have done something incredible in the 15,20 years, and maybe in that moment Xavi and Iniesta deserved the award as well.”

Despite the wording of his statements, it was clear to see that Guardiola said the things he did in a light-hearted manner. The man is already dominating English football as well as continuing in the UEFA Champions League as one of the favorites and was simply reminiscing when talking about his own Barcelona protégés.

Now, however, Pep Guardiola finally has a Spanish midfielder who has managed to win the Ballon d’Or under his guidance. Rodri, in what was a rather controversial award ceremony, ended up emerging as the victor of the 68th edition of the award, and many players, including those from the Catalan club, have sent him his flowers.