Better than Messi? Guardiola heaps praise on 18-year-old wonderkid
Robin Bairner
- 5 Oct 2023 06:58 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola picked out Rico Lewis for praise after the 18-year-old made a decisive contribution to his side’s 3-1 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Lewis was picked to start in central midfield by the Spaniard and justified his selection by creating the opening goal for Phil Foden.
It took late strikes from Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku to secure the points for Man City on a tricky evening, but Lewis impressed for the Premier League champions.
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Guardiola, who oversaw part of the early career of seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, has put the teen up there in terms of his talent.
“He played good, huh? What a player! What a player - 18 years old!” Guardiola told the media after the fixture.
“I’ve been a manager for 14-15 years, training unbelievable players, to find a player like him in the pockets, how he has to move, moving into the spaces, he’s one of the best I ever trained, by far.”
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Lewis shines against Leipzig
Lewis turned in a match-high five key passes on top of his assist, linking particularly well with Foden.
On top of his technical accuracy in completing more than 90% of the passes he attempted, he also showed a complete side to his game in terms of his defensive contribution. He competed in five duels and won them all, while he completed three tackles – both Man City high figures for the game.
Rico Lewis vs RB Leipzig
| Minutes | 90 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Key passes | 5 |
| Pass completition | 93.6% |
| Touches | 59 |
| Duels/won | 5/5 |
| Tackles | 3 |
Lewis’ minutes have been limited this season, with the teenager appearing three times in the Premier League, but two of these appearances were as a substitute in the dying seconds of the game.
The Leipzig match was his second start of consequence for the season, having featured as a left-back against Burnley in the opening Premier League game of the campaign.
Guardiola, though, appears to see the youngster’s future in a more central area, and after the praise of the Man City manager following the Champions League win, Lewis can expect more minutes in the weeks to come.
