Pep Guardiola believes Lionel Messi is the greatest even without his World Cup heroics.

The 35-year-old, who had a trophy-laden spell with Guardiola at Barcelona, also won the Golden Ball award for best player, with supporters saying his performance had elevated his status even further.
Everyone has an opinion, but nobody can deny that he is the greatest of all time, Guardiola told reporters ahead of Liverpool’s League Cup fourth-round match on Thursday.
For me, he’s the best; it’s difficult to believe that another player can compete with what he’s accomplished.
People who have seen Pele, Alfredo Di Stefano, or Diego Maradona… their opinions are sentimental, but on the other hand, their and my opinion would not have changed if he (Messi) had not won the World Cup.
Guardiola stated that City’s 16 players participating in the tournament would gradually return to club duty.
Six players returned today. They had an incredible, one-of-a-kind experience.Hopefully, they will return and work well, and they will be able to gain more experience in Canada, Mexico, and the United States in four years, Guardiola said.source: Guardian FootballThe World Cup players were in better shape than the players who were here. Sergio (Gomez), Erling (Haaland), Riyad (Mahrez), and Cole (Palmer) are lagging behind Rodri and Manuel Akanji in terms of rhythm.
March and April don’t bother me. Every player now has a different manager, a different competition… We have an important game tomorrow against Leeds (in the Premier League) (United). Because the January schedule is so demanding, we need them back as soon as possible.