Pep Guardiola amazed by Manchester City newcomer: ‘Even Messi wouldn’t do that!’

07/12/2025 15:52:00 ScoreStream

Pep Guardiola compared Rayan Cherki to Lionel Messi after the creative midfielder of Manchester City executed a classy rabona assist to Phil Foden in the 3-0 victory over Sunderland.

Cherki delivered his second assist of the match with a spontaneous flick, and according to Guardiola, who worked with Messi for four years at Barcelona, even the Argentine superstar has never produced such a moment. Earlier, Cherki contributed to the opener by setting up Ruben Dias for a long-range shot that beat Sunderland’s goalkeeper. Josko Gvardiol then doubled the lead with a header, before Cherki became the center of attention again with the rabona assist to Foden.

After the match, Cherki, who has provided 5 assists this Premier League season in his first year since joining from Lyon for £30 million, continued to receive high praise from Guardiola. Speaking at the press conference, Pep Guardiola said: “Rayan is an outstanding player, very young but with a strong personality. He showed that against Fulham by holding the ball in tough moments and always delivering smart passes. In the final third, he has something very special.”

Cherki có đường kiến tạo thứ 2 trong trận bằng cú vẩy bóng đầy ngẫu hứng (Ảnh: talkSPORT). — Cherki’s second assist of the match came from an instinctive flick (Photo: talkSPORT).

But Pep also made clear what he wants Cherki to learn from Messi: “I have never seen Messi do a cross like that rabona. Messi is the greatest player in history but he doesn’t perform crosses like that. For me, the most important thing is simplicity. Messi always does simple things perfectly before dribbling past four or five players.”

Pep Guardiola warned: “You can do something special, but if you forget the basics, you will get into trouble. I want Rayan to keep it simple first, then he can be creative as he wishes.”

Pep Guardiola ca ngợi nhưng vẫn nhắc nhở Cherki giữ sự đơn giản (Ảnh: Premier League). — Pep Guardiola praised but reminded Cherki to maintain simplicity (Photo: Premier League).

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Cherki said: “I am very proud. We worked for weeks to deliver this performance. When playing alongside players like Foden, Haaland, or Omar, my job is to create the best chances for them.”

The victory helped Man City reduce the gap to Arsenal to just two points. Pep Guardiola emphasized that the title race depends on “consistency in play” rather than just results. He added: “Arsenal will drop very few points, so we have to keep winning continuously. That comes from how you perform, not from a lucky moment.”