How Pep Guardiola’s Lionel Messi advice could light fuse in Rayan Cherki’s Manchester City career after rabona assist

A collective gasp rose from the Colin Bell Stand, satisfied sighs from the Kippax, and a solitary figure grinned coatless on the touchline.

His ‘rabona’ cross for Phil Foden to put the seal on the victory will go down as one of the assists of the season, but Cherki was in that sort of mood all afternoon. His withdrawal on 82 minutes deservedly drew a standing ovation.

Pep Guardiola issues instructions to Cherki against Sunderland

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“Rayan is an exceptional player,” Guardiola said of the 22-year-old.

“He is so young, he has proved his personality at Fulham. Every time he had the ball, he gave us extra passes, and in the final third, he had something special to offer.

“What I admire most about Rayan is not the skills. I never saw (Lionel) Messi play this cross he has done. Messi is the best player to play the game, but I have never seen this kind of cross.

“Crosses are fine, right or left or which part of your feet, it doesn’t matter. If it is effective, it is fine, but I like the simplicity because I learned from Messi that he never makes a mistake with the simple things. The simple things he does perfectly – then he dribbles past four or five players.

“I want players to do the simple things well, and after that, if you have special talent that your mum and dad give to you, you can do whatever you want – but if he doesn’t work, then we have a problem. He will be in trouble.

“We like to tell them to move in those spaces, but when they have the ball, do whatever they want. Before the cross was done, I didn’t tell Rayan to put the right leg behind the left leg and cross. They have to play. We tell them the way the opponents attack and defend, what they have to do.”

There was nothing simple about the cross to set up Foden’s goal.

Nor the manner in which he slalomed his way through the Black Cats throughout the afternoon, leaving defenders on their back side and dinking another delivery for Erling Haaland to have a shot hacked off the line from the most improbable angle.

Cherki is the throwback street entertainer who preserves football’s joy. A magician whose party tricks include getting out of tight spaces, more slippery than a box of frogs.

Cherki must now perform on a consistent basis having bided his time

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Guardiola’s Messi comparisons will create headlines, and while Cherki still has plenty to achieve within the game in order to be placed alongside one of the all-time greats, it is not the first occasion where the Man City boss has tried – and succeeded – in building up a player’s confidence.

Can Cherki become Pep’s new Sterling?

Although two very different players, Raheem Sterling’s Man City career only really got off the ground after Guardiola’s arrival in the summer of 2016.

A lot was made of his £50m move from Liverpool the year before, but under Manuel Pellegrini, the winger blew hot and cold – scoring 11 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions.

Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City speaks with player Raheem Sterling during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City

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It marked a transition season for the player, but Guardiola would develop Sterling’s tactical understanding, sharpen his finishing, and nurture an unwavering drive to improve.

Under his guidance, Sterling evolved from a raw prospect into a mature, clinical, and adaptable forward with a refined sense of movement, positioning, and decision-making, ultimately becoming a world-class goalscorer for City.

Speaking on his time working together, Guardiola said: “Raheem Sterling was one of the most influential players during my time at Manchester City. I can’t imagine my first few years without him.”

The way his career has declined in recent seasons serves to emphasise how important the relationship is between player and manager – and Sterling is not the only significant beneficiary of the Guardiola effect.

Bernardo Silva is one of his biggest disciples, having now played under him since the start of Guardiola’s second season back in 2017.

‘One of the best performances of the season’ – Guardiola on Man City’s 3-0 win over Sunderland

Video credit: SNTV

Silva – alongside Foden and John Stones – are the only surviving members of that title-winning campaign, the first of six Premier League medals collected under Guardiola’s watch.

“It’s not simple to describe Pep Guardiola,” Silva said in November. “That he was a top player and won a lot helps. I think he has an understanding of what it’s like. In terms of offensive concepts, he takes you to another level. He’s different from other managers.

“You never saw Manchester City playing the same way. We always change because he always thinks that if we don’t change, people will adapt and be able to control the way we play.”

Thiago Alcantara was another midfield technician who followed the same path from Barcelona to Bayern Munich as Guardiola, who specifically requested his signing back in July 2013.

Thiago was viewed as essential to his system in Bavaria, with the player later saying: “It was a difficult decision (to leave Barcelona).

“For everyone who comes through La Masia (Barca’s youth academy), it would be. You don’t want to leave Barcelona, you just want to join the first team and have success.

“But it’s not just about how you feel, or your self-confidence, but how other people feel about you. Pep trusted me and I felt that truth. I learnt a lot from him.”

With such balance and poise, Cherki could be primed to become the latest rough diamond tailor-made for Pep to polish into a world-class talent.

A rabona on repeat on the Etihad giant LED screens sent City fans into raptures, but now comes the challenging part.

Like Thiago, Sterling and Silva before him, Cherki is earning Guardiola’s trust, confident enough to produce a magic moment at 2-0 against a newly-promoted surprise package.

Against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, he has the perfect stage to prove he is far more than a one-trick pony, capable of reaching heights even the great Messi would want to claim as his own.