Five Things You Did Not Know About Pep Guardiola
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Five Things You Did Not Know About Pep Guardiola

Five Things You Did Not Know About Pep Guardiola? Pep Guardiola facts? Do you know everything there is to know about Man City boss Pep Guardiola? We all know Pep Guardiola as the famed manager of elite club Manchester City. He’s one of the best managers in the world currently and for good reason. Ever since he took over Manchester City in 2016, he has transformed the club into one of the most elite modern clubs in football. Want to know more about the Cityzens boss? Read on for five things you did not know about Pep Guardiola!

1. Guardiola has loved football since he was a child

 

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 This clearly explains why he choose a career in football! Guardiola joined La Masia when at the age of 13, and was there for 6 years in Barcelona’s youth academy. His father recalls him playing with a football for hours on end as a kid, and Guardiola could never seem to leave a football alone. There was always a sure-fire way to make him happy at Christmas, and that was to give him a football as a present. He was always with a ball at his feet. Everywhere he went, he went with a football,” his father said.

2. Guardiola was enjoying in the disco when he was called to join Cryuff’s Barcelona first team

When Guardiola was 19, he got a chance to play for Barcelona’s first team under Johan Cryuff. He reminisces the day he was called on to the first team – the day he was in a disco and had his sights set on dancing with a girl.

“I don’t even think it was 7 o’clock I was relaxing in a disco. Frankly, I was more worried about a brunette than anything else, and therefore I had decided that when the slow songs came on, I would take her for a dance. All of this was going on when I saw a team-mate from La Masia arrive to tell me that a group of Academy players were to travel to Banyoles with the first team. And that I was amongst those selected,” Pep said.

He added: “I never did dance with the brunette, who was certainly beautiful. My mind was already on other things. But I got to know the Barça first-team manager’s philosophy first hand. His assessment of my debut was thus: ‘You played slower than my grandmother.’ No need to say anything else!”

It was definitely a surprise for him!

3. Many Barcelona players didn’t enjoy Pep Guardiola’s time as Barca manager

This might not be very surprising. We all are aware that although this manager is excellent, he is also rather tough on his players – and his demands drove Barcelona players crazy. Gerard Pique, in particular, raised his voice against his coaching methods while at the Catalan club.

“I still revere Pep as a manager. But the truth is, it was an extremely hard time. He wanted his players to be obsessed with football 24 hours a day, and at that point in my life, I didn’t understand it. I wasn’t as committed to that philosophy,” Pique said. The defender continued: “Maybe we would have won the Champions League. Maybe Pep would have decided to stay at Barca. Maybe he never would have regained his trust in me. Maybe I would be at another club right now.”

4. Pep Guardiola Links His Coaching Success With Johan Cryuff

 

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Guardiola has a lot to thank Cruyff for, especially his coaching career. He reveals that he went several times to Cryuff for advice when he was Barcelona’s head coach – and attributes his first year success as manager completely to Cryuff.

“He was unique, totally unique. Without him I wouldn’t be here. I know for sure this is why I am, right now, the manager of Manchester City and before that Bayern Munich and Barcelona. I would not be able to do what he did. You hear all these people saying: ‘Oh Pep, what a good manager he is.’ Forget about it. Cruyff was the best, by far. Creating something new is the difficult part. To make it and build it and get everyone to follow? Amazing. That’s why, when I was Barcelona manager, I went to see Johan many times. I made especially sure I went a lot in my first year when we won everything, absolutely everything,” Pep said.

5. Guardiola became Barca manager the year his third child was born

His daughter and third child Valentina Guardiola was born in 2008, the year when he became the manager of the Catalan club.

“Valentina was born on the 6th of May [in 2008], it was also the day we played against Huddersfield to lift the title. The day that Valentina was born, Joan Laporta came with my friend to the hospital and told me, ‘You will be the next manager of Barcelona’.”

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