The team that Pep Guardiola built at Barcelona will surely go down as one of the most superior footballing sides in history. The fact that he was making them play a mesmerizing brand of football in only his first job makes him more special.Since then, the Spaniard has taken over some elite clubs in Europe and established a monopoly in top domestic leagues. Guardiola will undoubtedly go into the history books as one of the most successful and intelligent coaches.It is the free-flowing style of football that he has envisioned and brought on the field that makes his teams so entertaining to watch. There is no denying that the Spanish maestro has always had some high-quality players to work with. But he has identified top talent and harnessed their full potential time and again.Pep Guardiola signed many special players as Barcelona coachThe journey began at Barcelona, a club very dear to Guardiola. He had some of the top-rated names in Europe playing under him in Spain but took his team to the next level by recruiting quality talent. There are many who believe that he could do so because there was enough financial backing.But hey, one look at the history of the game and you'll find enough examples where huge sums of money fail to fulfill aspirations. His spell with the Catalans saw him sign nearly 20 players, some of whom turned out to be huge success stories.Here are five of the best signings that Pep Guardiola has made at Barcelona.#5 David VillaFC Barcelona v Malaga CF - La LigaPep Guardiola has signed some great strikers as a coach and David Villa is undoubtedly among the best he has signed. Even after years of working with him, Villa has always spoken of Guardiola in high regard and admires him.The striker was signed by Barcelona in 2010 one year after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to the Catalans. The Swede and the Spanish boss had a tense relationship and due to the same, Ibrahimovic was sent out on loan to AC Milan. In came Villa, who comfortably slotted in the front-three with Pedro and Lionel Messi.The Spanish striker was primarily a centre-forward but was played by the boss on the left-side more often. Despite not playing in his preferred position for the majority of his spell, he registered 48 goals in 119 appearances. He also played his part in the partnership with 28 assists.Shahzaib@shahzaibaIiKids these days will never understand how good this guy was4:11 AM · Jan 26, 202248Kids these days will never understand how good this guy was https://t.co/mvbeee28qODuring the striker's three-year stay with the Catalans, two were spent under Guardiola's management. Villa is Spain's top-scorer in international football with 63 goals. If he wasn't being played out of his position, the Spaniard could have scored with a better strike rate.Nonetheless, the striker left Barcelona with two La Liga titles and one Champions League. The club, however, must have felt hurt when they had to sell their €40 million forward for just €2 million after three years.#4 Alexis SanchezReal Sociedad v Barcelona - Copa del Rey: Semi Final Second LegA symbol of the phrase "fall from grace" for many football fans, Alexis Sanchez has surely seen a downhill climb in his once so successful career. Some players in football have an innate 'X-factor' that makes it difficult to take your eyes off them. In his prime, no one dared take their eyes off Sanchez.He was a live wire, always threatening to make a run, slice the defense and test the goalkeeper to his limit. The Chilean's very best version was turned on during his tenure at Arsenal. But at Barcelona he showed everyone that he was not one to play in anyone's shadow.Guardiola approved his signing in 2011 as Sanchez arrived from Italian club Udinese for a decent fee of €26 million. In doing so he brought a profitable asset to the club. He paid dividends both on and off the pitch even after the manager left himself.FC Barcelona@FCBarcelona That time @Alexis_Sanchez decided to put on a dribbling clinic ... in the middle of a game.3:49 AM · May 27, 20202954212🇨🇱 That time @Alexis_Sanchez decided to put on a dribbling clinic ... in the middle of a game. https://t.co/5rz13nYOylThe Chilean's first season in Spain was hampered by injuries but he picked up the pace quickly and showed his class on the big stage. He was always decisive in the final-third and had a directness to his game that facilitated the link-up play.Sanchez made 141 appearances for Barcelona in his three-year spell and scored 46 times. Notably, his knack for finding a teammate in the attacking third was equally efficient and he had his 37 assists to show for it. The Catalans secured a decent profit when they sold him for €42.5 million to Arsenal in 2014.