'Is Lionel Messi in here?': Nasri recalls Pep Guardiola's passionate dressing room speech

Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola were inseparable during their time together at FC Barcelona. They won many trophies together including the famous 2009 'sextuple' when they won the Copa de Espana, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, LaLiga, and the UEFA Champions League all in one season. Guardiola has always had great things to say about the six-time Ballon d'Or winner and Messi also has fond things to say about Pep. According to former Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri, Pep asked the City dressing room if Messi was in there with them ahead of his first season in charge.

"He spoke to us about Messi at the start of the (2016-17) season to get a message across,” Nasri told Canal+. "He told us he would be our friend, up until the first matchday of the season, at which point he would have to make choices. So some players were going to be unhappy." He then mentioned that if Messi was in the dressing room and the players answered 'no' to which Pep replies that they do not have the right to talk as Messi is the only player he would never put on the bench. Pep said:

'He asked us in the dressing room, ‘Is Lionel Messi in here?’. So we all looked at each other, and said, no, he isn’t here. ‘So you don’t have the right to talk or sulk, because he’s the only player I would never put on the bench, he’s allowed to sulk’.

Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola

The duo of Messi and Guardiola was almost unstoppable. They helped Barcelona to 14 titles which include three La Ligas and two Champions League titles. While under Pep, the Argentine superstar scored 43 goals in 47 Champions League matches. However, Messi has also faced Pep multiple times now including the recent PSG vs Manchester City match which saw grabbing his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain since leaving Barcelona, and what a way it was to open his account for the Parisians. In the 74th minute of the Group A match against Manchester City, Kylian Mbappe set up Messi for the perfect shot, and the Argentine took the chance as he scored a beautiful curler past Ederson. That was PSG's second goal of the night and the match ended 2-0 with a victory for the Parisians over City. The goal helped Messi carry on his stellar performances against Pep Guardiola managed sides having now netted seven times in five games against his former boss.

Image: AP