Month: May 2012

Lionel Messi gave Barcelona manager Guardiola the perfect send off from the Camp Nou after scoring four goals in the match against Espanyol. In the process, Lionel Messi also claimed the world record of having scored the most goals in a single season. The Argentine striker has now scored 72 goals in all competitions for Barcelona this season, which is the most by anyone in the world. Only recently, he surpassed the record held by Muller of 68 goals in a season. Guardiola announced recently that he will be retiring from the post of Barcelona manager, as he blamed fatigue for the reason.

Guardiola took charge of Barcelona at the Camp Nou for the final time in the match against Espanyol. Lionel Messi made sure that he went out on a high after scoring four goals. It was the perfect send off for the manager, who has been a major influence on Lionel Messi in the last few years. The Argentine has often credited his success to Guardiola and the way he has built the team around him. Barcelona recently announced that Guardiola’s assistant Tito Vilanova will carry on the work the former Catalan captain did at the Camp Nou.

“Life has given me this gift during the past five years of being able to live with these players and enjoy this spectacle. I have been the privileged one, to feel so loved and admired during all these years. Many thanks to all, above all to those who I have worked with every day. Know that I will miss you all. “But I am leaving you all in the good hands of these players,” Guardiola said after the match. The 4-0 win over Espanyol was the 97th victory in just 118 games for Guardiola at the Camp Nou, while Chelsea remain the only team he has failed to beat in his four years in charge of Barcelona.