GUARDIOLA CREATED A MONSTER IN MESSI - AND IT KEEPS COMING BACK TO HAUNT HIM

The Catalan coach took the Argentine forward to new heights at Barcelona - but he has now been on the receiving end of his talents on two occasions
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Pep Guardiola has seen it all before. The Catalan coach led Barcelona to the greatest era in the club's history with Lionel Messi at the forefront of his superb side between 2008 and 2012. But he created a monster - and now it keeps coming back to haunt him.

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During his tenure at Camp Nou, Guardiola always admitted that Messi made the difference. "Without him, we would be competitive," he often said. "But we wouldn't have achieved all that we have."

However, he had played his part in the Argentine's astronomical rise to become the world's finest footballer. Before Pep's arrival as coach in 2008, Messi was fantastic yet fragile, mesmerising but also inconsistent. And his best return in front of goal was 17 over a single season.

In 2008-09, that changed dramatically. Messi looked fitter, faster and hungrier in a spectacular season in which he helped Barca to the treble and netted 38 goals along the way. "I play closer to the area now," he would say. But it was much more than that. Pep paid attention to every detail of Leo's game - and made him the best player in the world.

Four consecutive Ballons d'Or followed for the Argentine and, more importantly for Barcelona, an astonishing 14 trophies out of 19 in the Guardiola era before the Catalan coach left to take a sabbatical in 2012.

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Pep then returned to Camp Nou to watch Barca against City as Bayern Munich boss in March 2015, witnessing a Messi masterclass from the stands and covering his eyes in disbelief when the Argentine nutmegged James Milner. "It is a luxury to watch Leo," he said afterwards.

Asked about stopping his former forward ahead of Bayern's clash against Barca later on in the same season in the Champions League, Guardiola was blunt. "There is no defence that can stop him," he said. "It's impossible. He is used to players defending against him any way they can and he always ends up enjoying success. He is too good."