Pep Guardiola has been one of the best coaches in the history of soccer for all the championships he has won in different leagues and teams such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Barcelona, the latter being the team most remembered by fans for all the dominance achieved both nationally and internationally. This has allowed the Spaniard to coach great players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Argentina captain Lionel Messi, exploiting the qualities of each of his players.

However, despite having worked with the best figures in world soccer, Guardiola made it clear recently that his criteria is not what everyone expected, all this when asked about which footballer is the best he has seen, surprising everyone by his response by not mentioning Lionel Messi.

The day Pep Guardiola felt what it was like to have Messi against him, he was desperate 😭pic.twitter.com/t9rdwLNxmB

— fan. (@TotalPedri8) October 21, 2025

Who is the best footballer Pep Guardiola has ever seen?

Speaking ahead of his midweek Champions League match against Villarreal, Guardiola praised Rayan Cherki:

He is one of the greatest talents I have seen in my career. Technically, individually, he is the best

Pep Guardiola

Pep's positive comments highlight Cherki's ability to shine in a talented team like Manchester City. The player arrived in 2025 from Lyon for 36.5 million euros and the forward has already shown his capabilities in just 201 minutes spread over eight official matches with two goals and one assist.

Let me refresh your TL with 10 minutes of pure Rayan Cherki ball

You’re welcome ☺️

pic.twitter.com/5eqczMm0zO

— T (@TALLYYYYYYYY_) October 23, 2025

Rayan Cherki: statistics and projection under Pep Guardiola

Cherki has quickly adapted to the Premier League, making an immediate contribution to a Manchester City side that is battling at the top of the table with Arsenal. Some of the qualities highlighted by the Spanish coach are his technique and vision, which Pep is polishing to give even more offensive value to his player, being one of the team's players with the greatest projection

Despite being young, Cherki is already drawing comparisons with legends who have been managed by Pep Guardiola, once again demonstrating that he continues to develop talent and give them confidence to maximise all their qualities. The Spanish strategist hopes to continue to see his evolution and help the team to fight for the Premier League and Champions League.

Ridiculous 🤯

✨ @rayan_cherki pic.twitter.com/Th7IYBHrMN

— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 24, 2025

The Catalan coach's statements have opened an intense debate about who deserves to be the best footballer he has coached in his career. Although there is a big difference between the two, this is because Cherki is just starting his career while Messi has established himself as one of the best footballers of all time and has set records that are very difficult to reach.