Pep Guardiola congratulates three Argentina players following World Cup win & gives Lionel Messi view

Pep Guardiola has congratulated Manchester City star Julian Alvarez after his World Cup success last week with Argentina.

The forward played all seven games in Qatar as Argentina claimed a third world title, and the 22-year-old netted four at the competition, including two in the semi-final against Croatia.

Speaking on Wednesday ahead of City’s Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool, Guardiola expressed his delight for Alvarez, as well as for former City defender Nicolas Otamendi, and Lionel Messi, who he coached at Barcelona.

“We are incredibly happy for him - congrats to him, for Otamendi, of course, personally for Lionel Messi and Argentina as a country; a well-deserved champion,” said Guardiola. “For Julian, we are delighted because he played a lot and his contribution was amazing for the team, for the way they played. We have a world champion in our team.”

Asked when Alvarez will return to the team following the World Cup, Guardiola revealed the former River Plate man could miss all of City’s final three matches in 2023. “Not yet, but he will have a week, 10 days off. There are many games, a lot of tension. I think He will have a break and come back, I don’t know exactly the date, maybe the days before new year or New Year’s Eve.”

Argentina’s win on Sunday over France was Messi’s crowning glory of an outstanding career and, for some, solidified his status as the game’s all-time greatest. But Guardiola said his opinion of the Paris Saint-Germain star was formed long before the World Cup, and winning or losing at the weekend would not have altered that.

“Everyone has an opinion but nobody can doubt that he’s there with the greatest of all time,” the City boss opined. “I’ve said many times, he’s the best. It might be difficult to understand and compete like he has done in the last 15,16 years.

“But people who saw Pele or [Alfredo] Di Stefano or [Diego] Maradona, people can say their favourites, but often these opinions are sentimental. But, on the other side, he would have not won the World Cup, my opinion on what he has done for world football would not change. For him it is the final cherry of his incredible care.”