No one player has flourished more under Guardiola than Messi and asked about his absence, Guardiola indicated that his talisman was “present in spirit”. Messi published on his Facebook page: “I want to thank Pep from the bottom of my heart for all he has given me. I prefer not to be there with him because of the strong emotions that I feel. I know the press will be looking for sad faces and that is something that I have decided not to show.”