Pep Guardiola Claims Barcelona's Lionel Messi Is the 'Best Player in the Champions League'

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has looked to settle the recent debate over who is superior between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by throwing his weight behind the Argentine, labelling him the "best player in the Champions League."

Messi is set to feature for Barcelona against Celtic in the club's opening game of this season's competition on Tuesday evening, while Ronaldo's Real Madrid host Sporting CP on Wednesday.

Ronaldo is the highest-scoring player in Champions League history, and has three Ballons d'Or to his name, while Messi has five.

But while Ronaldo and former Barcelona star Xavi have been embroiled in something of a war of words this week, Guardiola has now weighed in with his opinion and firmly backed Messi as the top dog.

He said in a pre-match press conference on Monday, asreported byMarca:"The best player in the Champions League is [Lionel] Messi. No one is better than him."

Despite his belief that Messi is head and shoulders above the rest, Guardiola was then keen to ensure people knew where his real attention lay - to his new club's fortunes in this season's Champions League.

City play Borussia Monchengladbach also on Tuesday evening, with Barcelona also featuring in their group.

Pep Guardiola (today): Who is the best player in UCL history? Messi.. Messi. There's no one better than him.�
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He said:"It was a pleasure to coach Barcelona and Bayern Munich far into the Champions League,but now at Manchester City we have our own story.

"I'm not a romantic, I want to win games and I think the best way to win games is mine, which is something I try to convince my players."

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