Guardiola on Busquets: “Messi liked him in three days’

Pep Guardiola in Busquets: Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola gave an in-depth interview about his time at Barca.

Pep Guardiola appeared in an interview with former Real Madrid player and television personality Jorge Valdano earlier this week. He talked in length about his time as player and manager at FC Barcelona.

In a 30-second trailer to the interview, Guardiola stated that he wanted to return to Barcelona towards the end of his career. The full interview was released on September 13.

Pep Guardiola spoke about his time at Barcelona and his relationship with Johan Cruyff. He also talked about Sergio Busquets, who played under Guardiola at Barcelona B and Barca’s first team. It was Guardiola who gave Busquets his senior-debut.

“I remember what Messi told me [about Busquets],” Guardiola said.

“After two or three days of training with him, he came to me and said, ‘I like this one’. And I said, ‘When there is trouble, he will be there.

“He does everything for those around him,” said Guardiola.

Sergio Busquets became one of the most important figures in the Barcelona midfield, and has won seven La Liga titles with the club so far. He also won three Champions League titles with the club, and various domestic and continental/inter-continental trophies at Barcelona.

Also read: La Liga 2018/19: Barcelona’s expected lineup vs Real Sociedad

Merely five months after his debut at Barcelona, Busquets was called-up to the national team squad for a friendly against England. He has since cemented his place in Spain’s side, making over 100 appearances so far. He won the World Cup in 2010, and the European Championships in 2012 with Spain.

Pep Guardiola also revealed that Johan Cruyff was one of the most inspirational figures for him in football. The current Manchester City stated that Cruyff intended to make ‘plan A stronger’, rather than making a plan B.