Who is Pep Guardiola’s best player in the world?

Manchester City manager and Lionel Messi’s former coach Pep Guardiola has reiterated his belief that the Argentina captain is the greatest player of all time.

Messi led Argentina to its first World Cup triumph since 1986 in Qatar, producing numerous remarkable performances and moments of brilliance to emulate his hero and compatriot Diego Maradona.

It was the only trophy that had eluded Messi throughout his illustrious career and it was secured in the most nerve-shredding way imaginable, as Argentina beat France on penalties after a chaotic 3-3 draw after extra time.

Messi scored two goals and also took Argentina’s first penalty in the shootout in Sunday’s

Guardiola coached Messi at Barcelona from 2008 to 2012 – a team widely considered the greatest of all time – winning a remarkable three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues in that four-year spell.

“Everyone has [an] opinion, but nobody can doubt that he’s there with the greatest of all time,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup match between City and Liverpool.