“Which team played better, Barcelona 2010 or City 2023”: Guardiola’s eloquent reaction to Henry’s uncomfortable question in The Best

The million dollar question: which team played better, Barcelona or Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City? The precision and assists of Xavi and Iniesta or the dynamism of Foden, De Bruyne and Gündogan (now moved to Catalonia). Messi’s excellence or Haaland’s power. And who better than the creator of those two football orchestras, Pep Guardiola, can answer this question.

This Monday, at The Best Awards gala, Pep Guardiola was awarded as the best technical director in the world. The manager received the award after his team, Manchester City, played a historic season that included the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup.

Everything was a tribute and the Catalan shared a round with Kyle Walker and Rúben Días (two of the players chosen for the ideal FIFAPro team), until Thierry Henry, the host of the party, interrupted the sweetness.

The Frenchman, who said he calls Guardiola “boss”, put the best coach in the world between a rock and a hard place: “What is better: Barcelona 2010 or Manchester City 2023? A very risky choice for the winner of the championship” . five titles with the Ciudadano club last year.

Between the ropes, Pep expressed himself shyly: “fuck”, he whispered and revolutionized the entire hall with laughter. “Who would win. I don’t know, it would be a good match, they are both great teams, who knows who would be the coach on the other side”, he said smiling, imagining a meeting between the two.

“They’re both amazing, honestly. That Barcelona team was young, dynamic. And this team also in England, the Premier League, is very good, a very strong competition, and the team proves it season after season,” he continued.

What Guardiola highlighted most is the motivation and dedication you need to have to be able to carry a team forward, every day, consistently, without opting for either over the other.

Previously he had already referred to Barça and remembered it as one of the best feats that shaped his career. “Barcelona is the club of my life, it is the reason why I am here today. Barcelona is part of my life,” he said.

Pep Guardiola became the first European manager to achieve the treble twice, thus also being the first to do so with different clubs: FC Barcelona in 2009 and Manchester City in 2023.

Considered on several occasions the best technical director in the world, he created a 2023 sacred to the citizens, giving them the Champions League for the first time in its history, a trophy he came close to on another occasion. Furthermore, he added the Premier League, the Club World Cup, the FA Cup and the European Super Cup.