Former Barcelona striker David Villa says that Pep Guardiola is probably the greatest coach in the history of the game.

The former Barcelona manager is currently in charge of Manchester City, who went to great lengths in order to sign him from Bayern Munich. One of the reasons for the extreme measures taken by the English club is the quality produced by Guardiola on all fronts. Jose Mourinho may have delivered plenty of trophies, but Guardiola has managed to provide trophies and beautiful football in a spectacular combination. Villa was one of the signings made by Guardiola and it transformed Barcelona into an all-conquering team.

Villa was hugely responsible for the Champions League success in 2009 and that Barcelona team it is probably regarded as the greatest in the history of the sport. Now playing with MLS outfit New York City, many were left surprised that Villa deciding to quit European football at a much earlier stage. Even though he is in North American football, Villa continues to stay in touch with the events in the European game.

He has followed Guardiola’s first few months at City, and it has been progressing smoothly apart from minor hiccups. The club are close to securing a place in the Champions League knockout stages, but they have to beat Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday night.

“I think City will be among the candidates to win the Champions League. They have been one of the top teams and now even more so with Guardiola in charge. They have been playing great football during the early stages of the tournament and I am sure they will have a chance to become champions with Pep. Guardiola is one of the greatest coaches in the history of football and I feel proud to have worked with him,” said Villa.