Soccer-False nine was Guardiola's secret weapon, now it's unstoppable

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - May 8, 2021 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola Pool via REUTERS/Martin Rickett /File Photo

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Even the best players in the world have not been spared Pep Guardiola's attacking tactical innovations.

"I was called up to Guardiola's office and he said he had thought about me playing as a false nine," Barcelona's Lionel Messi said last year.