5 reasons why Pep Guardiola is truly special

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City - Premier League
Guardiola is currently the manager of Manchester City

#2: Subsequent return and success as manager of FC Barcelona

Pep Guardiola unveiled as the manager of FC Barcelona in 2008
Pep Guardiola was unveiled as the manager of FC Barcelona in 2008

In 2008, Joan Laporta, the then Barca president, presented Pep Guardiola as the new manager of FC Barcelona. Barca had just relieved another Dutch legend Frank Rijkaard of his duties, following a disappointing spell in both, home and European competitions.

The decision surprised a lot of pundits because of Pep’s relative inexperience as a manager, after all, he had only managed Barca B, that too, for merely 1 year.

Guardiola proved all his doubters wrong and heralded a new era of possession-based football. Barca became the first Spanish team in history to win the treble of La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Copa Del Rey.

Further, in 2009, the team went on to claim the UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup to become the first team in history to have won the sextuple. Guardiola became the first manager to win a sextuple, a Spanish treble and the youngest to win a Champions League, a trophy which he won again in 2011.

Guardiola won 14 trophies during his tenure as Barcelona manager from 2008-2012, and his managerial record stands an astounding 179 wins, 47 draws and 21 losses in 247 games with a win percentage of 72.5%.

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