London, May 20 -- Pep Guardiola said Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is the "second-best" passer he has worked with - after Argentine great Lionel Messi.
Manchester City manager Guardiola holds the departing Belgian in high esteem, ahead of the likes of other pass-masters he has managed such as Andres Iniesta and Xavi at Barcelona, and former City midfielder David Silva.
De Bruyne announced last month he will leave City after 10 years when his contract expires at the end of the season, with his final home game against Bournemouth on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 BST).
Guardiola said it would be "difficult to find" another player who passed the ball like De Bruyne and hailed him as "one of the best three" he has ever seen, before swi...