Man City boss Guardiola hopes Messi ends career at Barcelona
SHOWS:
BARCELONA, SPAIN (NOVEMBER 20, 2020) (BARCA TV - MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO)
1. VARIOUS OF LIONEL MESSI DURING TRAINING
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 20, 2020) (CITY TV - DO NOT OBSCURE LOGO)
2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, ON LIONEL MESSI, SAYING:
"Leo Messi's a player from Barcelona and if you ask me my opinion, as a person like I have huge gratitude for what Barcelona has done to me as a, in the academy as a football player and after the manager, like gave me absolutely everything. What I want is finish his career there. That is what I want. I would love, I would wish, so I said I don't know how many times, maybe a thousand times. So, I would like as a Barcelona fan, Leo finish there. But finish this year the contract and I don't know what is going to happen in his mind, so, and of course right now he's a Barcelona player and the transfer market will be in June. In July, so, we have an incredible games and targets and achievements to try and achieve and this is only half in our minds."
3. WHITE FLASH
4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, ON FANS POTENTIALLY RETURNING TO STADIUMS ACROSS THE UK BY CHRISTMAS, SAYING:
"I want to listen to the science, the doctors, I don't want to (listen to) the politicians. We want the people come back to the stadiums, of course, but the people (return to) all the restaurants as well and the cinemas and the theaters and the shoppings (shopping malls). The virus is here, people are dying all around the world everyday a lot of people, so, until the vaccine is not here and is secure, so, I don't know. I don't know if government want to take a risk to put people there and contaminate more and more. When we saw the statistics here in UK, it's raising and raising every day, so."
5. WHITE FLASH
6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, ON INJURY NEWS AHEAD OF PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AGAINST TOTTENHAM, SAYING:
"Fernandinho's not fit. Have a little bit gastroenteritis, something in his stomach. Sergio (Aguero) training this week and Raheem (Sterling), today was the first training with the team."
BURTON-ON-TRENT, ENGLAND, UK (RECENT - NOVEMBER 11, 2020) (ENGLISH FA HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL)
7. RAHEEM STERLING DURING RONDO DRILL WITH NATIONAL TEAM
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 20, 2020) (TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR - ACCESS ALL)
8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, ON ENGLAND MANAGER GARETH SOUTHGATE AND STERLING PLAYING AGAINST HIS SIDE, SAYING:
"Gareth Southgate I read, I don't think I'm wrong in what I read, so, he supposedly told that some football club managers, they put pressure on the players for not to play for the national team and because of that he feels sometimes the need to call club managers to try to cool down the emotions and try to control a difficult situation for him. I would like him to say who. I would like him to say which are the coaches that put pressure on the players for not to go and I would like him to say which are the coaches that he calls and he speaks on the phone with them. Apart of that, he has the right, he has the power to call the players he wants. He wants to win matches, especially after a defeat, the next match, even being that rubber isn't an important match, I sympathise totally with that and of course we all know that Sterling is going to play tomorrow. When Eric Dier left the national team injured in the previous month, he didn't play two matches for Tottenham. He didn't play the Premier League match and the Europa League match. He needed a couple of weeks to recover and Raheem is going to play tomorrow, so, these are the little details that I think Gareth should explain us all."
STORY: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he is unsure what the future holds for Lionel Messi but hopes as a Barcelona fan that the Argentine forward will remain at the La Liga club until the end of his career.
Guardiola, who has guided City to two Premier League titles, three League Cups and the FA Cup following his arrival in 2016, signed a new two-year deal on Thursday (November 19) that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2022-23 season.
The former Barca manager's extension at City has opened up the possibility of a reunion with Messi in England, with the player in the last year of his current contract in Spain having unsuccessfully tried to leave the club in the close season.
"Messi's a player for Barcelona. If you ask me my opinion I have huge gratitude for what Barcelona have done for me. I want him to finish his career there," Guardiola told reporters on Friday (November 20) ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
"I'd love, wish, I've said a thousand times. I'd like as a Barcelona fan for him to finish his career there. I don't know what is in his mind, for now he's a Barcelona player. The transfer market is in June. This is only half in our minds."
Guardiola's immediate attention will be on second-placed Spurs, who could top the table with victory. City will be without versatile midfielder Fernandinho due to illness.
"Sergio (Aguero) is training this week and Raheem (Sterling) today was the first training with the team."
Sterling sustained a calf injury while training with England ahead of their game against Belgium, but Spurs boss Jose Mourinho believes he will play.
"We all know Sterling will play tomorrow (Saturday)," Mourinho said at his pre-match news conference.
"When (defender) Eric Dier left the national team injured... he didn't play two matches for Tottenham. He needed a couple of weeks to recover but Raheem is going to play tomorrow... These are the details I think Gareth should explain."
(Production: Stefan Haskins)
