Pep Guardiola has established himself as one of the top head coaches in world football, having won multiple trophies with both Barcelona and Manchester City.
Aside from being a success story on the pitch, Guardiola has also displayed an amusing side during press conferences and games.
On March 18th against Burnley in the FA Cup Quarter Final, Guardiola made a hilarious reference to his former player Lionel Messi.
The night belonged to Erling Haaland who struck his 42nd goal of the season and completed yet another hat trick – his sixth of the campaign.
The Norwegian then scored five goals on Tuesday against RB Leipzig in the Champions League Last 8, making him only the third-ever player after Messi and Luiz Adriano to score five times in a single Champions League game.
Guardiola seemingly tried to protect Messi’s record by substituting Haaland shortly after he’d scored three goals at the Etihad Stadium prior to international duty – making it clear that breaking the record was not his intention.
He jokingly remarked: “I try to punish my players – it is my intention”, drawing laughter from everyone present at the press conference.
This article was updated 1 month ago
