“I never saw Messi play a cross like he has” - Pep Guardiola reacts to Man City star producing Rabona assist vs Sunderland

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reacted to Rayan Cherki's stunning rabona assist, claiming he never saw Lionel Messi play such a cross. His comments arrived after the Cityzens defeated Sunderland 3-0 in their Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, December 6.

Rayan Cherki assisted Ruben Dias in the 31st minute, with the latter unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner to open the scoring. Josko Gvardiol then headed home four minutes later to double Manchester City's advantage. Cherki garnered his second assist of the game in the 65th minute after cutting back and producing a delightful rabona-cross, which was converted by Phil Foden.

Despite Cherki's heroics, Guardiola was reserved following the game, admitting he prefers simplicity when it comes to crosses. He referred to Lionel Messi during his explanation, stating (via @TouchlineX):

"I never saw Messi play and make a cross like he has done.... Messi is the best player to have played the game, and I never saw these kind of crosses. Crosses is fine, it's fine... It doesn't matter if it's right foot, left, part of your foot, the head, doesn't matter. If it's effective, fine."

"But I like simplicity because I learned from Messi he never made a mistake, and never made a mistake with the simple things. Never. Simple things he does perfectly... And after dribble past four, five players."

He added:

"And what I want from the players is the simple things to do it well, and after that if you do this rabona assist, players have special talent that mum and dad give to you, and he can do whatever he wants. But if it doesn't work, now it will be a problem. Now you'll be in trouble."

Since joining Manchester City over the summer, Cherki has impressed, registering three goals and six assists in 14 appearances across all competitions.

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"He's the best of all of them" - Lionel Messi makes honest Pep Guardiola admission in recent interview

Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi has hailed Pep Guardiola, naming the Spaniard as his best manager. The 38-year-old praised Guardiola for his communication, match preparation, as well as the impact he made outside Spain in the Bundesliga and the Premier League.

Guardiola managed Messi at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012. The pair found great success, winning 14 trophies, including three LaLiga titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies.

During an exclusive interview with ESPN, the Argentine ace stated:

"For me, Guardiola is unique. There are extraordinarily good coaches, but he has something different. For me, he's the best of all of them. When it comes to seeing things, preparing for matches, and communicating with the players, he's very complete. He's the best, and we were lucky to have him at Barcelona."

He added:

"He got together with the players we had and the right pieces came together for what he intended, to achieve everything that was achieved. He went to other places and continued winning. It's not just because of winning but because of the way his teams played."

"He did at Bayern, although he couldn't win the Champions League there, he changed the way the game was played in Germany, the same in England with City, he changed the way the league is played."

Guardiola has established himself as one of the greatest managers of all time, winning a total of 40 trophies across all clubs.