Pep Guardiola

This is a Catalan name. The first family name is Guardiola and the second is Sala.
Pep Guardiola

Guardiola with Barcelona in 2010
Personal information
Full nameJosep Guardiola i Sala
Date of birth18 January 1971
Place of birthSantpedor, Spain
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Playing positionDefensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
Bayern Munich (manager)
Youth career
1983–1990Barcelona
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1990–1992Barcelona B59(5)
1990–2001Barcelona263(6)
2001–2002Brescia11(2)
2002–2003Roma4(0)
2003Brescia13(1)
2003–2005Al-Ahli18(2)
2005–2006Dorados10(1)
Total378(17)
National team
1991Spain U212(0)
1991–1992Spain U2312(2)
1992–2001Spain47(5)
1995–2005Catalonia7(0)
Teams managed
2007–2008Barcelona B
2008–2012Barcelona
2013–Bayern Munich
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Josep "Pep" Guardiola i Sala (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛb ɡwəɾðiˈɔɫə]; born 18 January 1971) is a Spanish former footballer who is the current manager of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.

Guardiola played as a defensive midfielder and spent the majority of his career with Barcelona, forming a part of Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team" that won the club's first European Cup in 1992, and four successive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994. He later captained the team from 1997 to 2001. He then played for Brescia and Roma in Italy, Al-Ahli in Qatar, and Dorados de Sinaloa in Mexico while training to be a manager. While playing in Italy, he served a four-month ban for a positive drug test, although he was cleared of wrongdoing twice on appeal in 2009 before the Courts of Justice of the Italian Football Federation and the Federal Anti-Doping Courts of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI).[2] Guardiola was capped 47 times for Spain, winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 1992, and appeared at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also played friendly matches for Catalonia. A deep-lying playmaker, he was highly regarded throughout his career for his vision of the game, ball control, technical ability, passing range, and calm composure.[3]

As a manager, Guardiola has won 14 trophies in the first four years of his managing career. He is one of the most successful and is considered to be one of the best managers in the world.[4][5][6]

After retiring as a player, Guardiola became coach of Barcelona B, and in 2008 he succeeded Frank Rijkaard as the first team manager.[7] In his first season as manager, Guardiola guided Barcelona to a treble, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. In doing so, Guardiola became the youngest manager to win the Champions League. The following season, Guardiola led Barcelona to win the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup, bringing his tally to the maximum of six trophies out of six competitions in one year, thus achieving the sextuple. In 2011, Guardiola was awarded the Catalan Parliament's Gold Medal, their highest honour.[8] That same year, Guardiola was also named the FIFA World Coach of the Year.[9] On 30 June 2012, Guardiola announced his retirement as Barcelona manager, after winning 14 trophies in just four years in charge of the club.

After a sabbatical period, Bayern Munich announced on 16 January 2013 that Guardiola would join the club as manager for the 2013–14 season following the retirement of Jupp Heynckes. In his first season at the club, Guardiola won the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Club career

Barcelona

Born in Santpedor, Barcelona, Catalonia, Guardiola joined La Masia at the age of 13 and rose through the ranks at the youth academy of Barcelona for six years, making his début in 1990 against Cádiz CF. As Phil Ball writes in Morbo,

"In his first week at the club, Johan Cruyff turned up unannounced at the 'Mini' stadium, a venue just down the road from Camp Nou used by the youth and B teams. Just before half-time he wandered into the dug-out and asked Charly Rexach, the youth team manager at the time, the name of the young lad playing on the right side of midfield. 'Guardiola – good lad' came the reply. Cruyff ignored the comment and told Rexach to move him into the middle for the second half, to play as pivot. It was a difficult position to adapt to and one not used by many teams in Spain at the time. Guardiola adjusted immediately, as Cruyff had suspected he would, and when he moved up into the first-team in 1990 he became the pivot of the Dream Team."[10]

Johan Cruyff utilised the young midfielder in the absence of the suspended Guillermo Amor. He became a first team regular in the 1991–92 season and at only 20 years old, he was a key component of a side that won La Liga and the European Cup. The prestigious Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo heralded Guardiola as the finest player in the world under the age of 21. Cruyff's "Dream Team" went on to retain La Liga title in the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons. The side was strengthened by the recent signing of Romário, again reached the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final, but were beaten 4–0 by Fabio Capello's Milan side in Athens. Cruyff left in 1996, with Barcelona finishing fourth in the 1994–95 season and third in the 1995–96 season, but Guardiola retained his position at the centre of Barça's midfield.

In the 1996–97 season, Barcelona, this time led by Bobby Robson, won three cups, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España, and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Much of the Dream Team had by this time left, with new signings such as Luís Figo and Ronaldo taking over from Hristo Stoichkov and Michael Laudrup. In 1997, Guardiola was named as Barcelona captain under new manager Louis van Gaal, but a calf muscle injury ruled Guardiola out of most of the 1997–98 season, in which Barcelona won a league and cup double. At the end of the season, Barcelona rejected offers from Roma and Parma (of around 300 million pesetas) for Guardiola. After prolonged and complicated contract talks, Guardiola signed a new contract with the Catalan club which extended his stay until 2001.

Guardiola returned to action the following season and Barcelona once again won La Liga, thanks largely to the performances of Rivaldo and Luís Figo. On 8 June 1998, Guardiola underwent surgery to try to solve once and for all the problems that he was experiencing with his calf which had led to him missing the 1998 FIFA World Cup for Spain. A largely disappointing 1999–2000 season ended once again in surgery as Guardiola missed the last three months of the season due to a serious ankle injury. Barcelona didn't win any silverware during the 2000–01 season and finished fourth place in the league, but qualifying for the Champions League.

On 11 April 2001, Barcelona's captain announced his intention to leave the club after 17 years of service. He stated that it was a personal decision and, in part, a response to what he perceived as football heading in a new, more physical, direction. On 24 June 2001, Guardiola played his last match with Barça in the last game of the season against Celta de Vigo.[11] Guardiola played 479 games in 12 seasons for the first team, winning 16 trophies. At the press conference after the Celta game, he said, "It's been a long journey. I'm happy, proud, happy with the way people treated me and I have made many friends. I cannot ask for more. I have had many years in the elite. I did not come to make history but to make my own history." He has been called the hero of a number of Barcelona's current midfielders, as Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, and Cesc Fàbregas have all stated that Guardiola was their role model and hero.[12]

Serie A

After leaving Barcelona in 2001 at the age of 30, Guardiola joined Italian Serie A side Brescia, as Andrea Pirlo's replacement in the deep-lying playmaking role, where he was able to play alongside Roberto Baggio, under coach Carlo Mazzone.[13] Following his time at Brescia, Guardiola then transferred to Roma. His time in Italy, however, was unsuccessful and included a four-month ban after testing positive for nandrolone. Six years later, on 23 October 2007, Guardiola was cleared on appeal of all charges that had led to the ban.[14] CONI, however, reopened the case against the player, because it considered the argumentation of the absolution unacceptable,[15] but he was cleared once again on 29 September 2009.[16] He played a number of Coppa Italia games and Champions League games, finishing with 71 games in Italy.

Al-Ahli

After his career with Brescia and Roma, in 2003, Guardiola chose to play in Qatar with Al-Ahli from Doha in the Qatar Stars League, where many fellow greats were playing, such as Gabriel Batistuta. He had rejected another offer from Manchester United, as he wanted to play elsewhere. He became a regular in the Qatar Stars League, often cited as one of the best players in the League. In 2005–06, he turned down offers from a number European sides, such as Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, as he felt his playing career was coming to a close.[17]

Dorados de Sinaloa

In 2006, when Juan Manuel Lillo was appointed manager of Mexican club Dorados de Sinaloa, he recruited Guardiola to play for the club, while he was in managing school in Axocopán, Atlixco, Puebla. He subsequently played for six months, before retiring.

International career

Spain

Guardiola made his senior debut on 14 October 1992 in 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in a World Cup qualifier. In the same year, Guardiola captained Spain when they won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games. It was in this year when he won the Bravo Award, voted the world's best player under the age of 21. Between 1992 and 2001, Guardiola played over 47 times and scoring five goals for the senior Spain team. He was a member of the Spanish team during the 1994 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals, losing 2–1 to Italy. He fell out of favour with Javier Clemente, the Spain manager, due to difference and disagreement between the two, and missed out on Euro 1996. He suffered a career-threatening injury in 1998, which kept him out of the 1998 World Cup, but he later played at Euro 2000, where he led Spain to yet another quarter-final appearance, this time losing to France by the same margin, 2–1. He led the Spain midfield until his final appearance for la Roja, in 1–0 win in a friendly against Mexico on 14 November 2001, and scoring his last international goal against Sweden in a 1–1 draw, in his 45th appearance.[18][19]

Catalonia

Guardiola has also played for and has served as an advocate of the Catalonia football team. Between 1995 and 2005, he played seven friendly games for Catalonia.[20]

Coaching career

Barcelona

B team

Guardiola coaching Barcelona B

Guardiola was appointed coach of FC Barcelona B on 21 June 2007 with Tito Vilanova as his assistant. Under his guidance, the team subsequently won their Tercera División group and qualified for the 2008 Segunda División B playoffs, which the team won, thereby achieving promotion.[21] FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced in May 2008 that Guardiola would be appointed manager of the senior Barcelona squad to replace Frank Rijkaard at the end of the 2007–08 season.[22] According to a 2013 biography of Michael Laudrup, he and not Guardiola was Laporta's first choice.[23]

2008–09 season

Upon being appointed, Guardiola revealed that Ronaldinho, Deco, Samuel Eto'o and others were not part of his plans for the coming season. By the time of the announcement, Guardiola had already offloaded full back Gianluca Zambrotta to AC Milan, attacking midfielder Giovani dos Santos to Tottenham Hotspur, and midfielder Edmílson to Villarreal CF.[24] Deco went to Chelsea, while Ronaldinho joined Zambrotta in Milan. Lilian Thuram was initially going to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer but the discovery of a heart condition put a stop to the move, and the veteran retired to tend to his health. Oleguer Presas signed with AFC Ajax, Santiago Ezquerro was released by Barça and Marc Crosas was sold to Celtic. The fate of Samuel Eto'o took much of the summer to unravel, with the Cameroonian linked with several clubs, but Guardiola finally declared that he would stay after his dedication in training and participation in the pre-season.

In association with Barça director of sport, Txiki Begiristain, several new signings were made by Guardiola — Dani Alves and Seydou Keita arrived from Sevilla FC; Martín Cáceres from Villarreal CF by way of Recreativo de Huelva; Gerard Piqué returned from Manchester United; and Alexander Hleb was signed from Arsenal. Henrique was also signed from Palmeiras, but was immediately loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen.[25] In interviews with the press, Guardiola stressed a harder work ethic than before, but also a more personal approach during training and a closer relationship with his players. Along with the new signings, Guardiola promoted canteranos Sergio Busquets, Pedro Rodríguez and Jeffrén Suárez to the first team squad.

Guardiola's first competitive game as coach was in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, in which Barça comfortably beat Polish club Wisła Kraków 4–0 in the first leg at home. They then lost 1–0 in the second leg, but progressed with a 4–1 aggregate victory. Promoted CD Numancia also defeated Barcelona in the opening match-day of the La Liga, but the team then went on an undefeated streak for over 20 matches to move to the top of the league. Barça maintained their spot atop La Liga's table, securing their first league title since 2006 when rivals Real Madrid lost at Villarreal on 16 May 2009. The most important match however was on 2 May when they defeated Real Madrid 6–2 at the Santiago Bernabéu. The league title was the second piece of silverware in Guardiola's first season at the Camp Nou. Earlier on 13 May 2009, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, defeating Athletic Bilbao by 4–1.

Guardiola finished the season by leading Barça to the final of the Champions League, where they beat Manchester United 2–0. In doing so, they became the first Spanish club to win the domestic cup, the league, and the European club titles (the treble) in the same season. The treble winning season is regarded as one of the club's finest seasons in its history [26] Furthermore, Guardiola became the youngest man to coach a Champions League winning team.[27]

2009–10 season

Pep Guardiola managing Barcelona.

During Guardiola's second season as manager, Barcelona traded Samuel Eto'o and €46 million for Zlatan Ibrahimović of Internazionale. Many players left the club in the same transfer window — Eiður Guðjohnsen was sold to AS Monaco; Sylvinho and Albert Jorquera's contracts ended; and other players were loaned out, including Alexander Hleb to VfB Stuttgart, Martín Cáceres to Juventus, Alberto Botía to Sporting de Gijón, and Víctor Sánchez to Xerez CD. Barcelona started the season defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Supercopa de España and Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Super Cup. On 25 September 2009, Barcelona gave Guardiola his 50th professional victory, away against Málaga CF and on 19 December, they were crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions for the first time in their history.

Guardiola finished the calendar year 2009 with a record six trophies, the Spanish League, Copa del Rey, Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, and Club World Cup, becoming the first manager in history to do so. In January 2010, Guardiola became Barcelona's longest serving Spanish coach, overtaking the record previously held by Josep Samitier. That same month, on the 20th, he agreed to a one-year contract extension to keep him with Barcelona until the end of the 2010–11 season.[28]

In February 2010, Guardiola coached his 100th match for Barcelona's first team. His record stood at 71 wins, 19 draws, and 10 losses with 242 goals for and 76 against.[29] On 10 April 2010, he became the first manager in Barcelona's history to beat Real Madrid four times in a row in El Clásico. Barcelona reached the semi-finals of the 2009–10 Champions League, but lost 3–2 on aggregate to José Mourinho's Internazionale.[30] Despite this, they managed to win their 20th La Liga title with 99 points by beating Real Valladolid 4–0 at home.[31] At the time, this was the highest points total ever gained amongst any of Europe's major leagues.[32] The La Liga title was Guardiola's seventh trophy as manager of the club, tying Ferdinand Daučík for second behind Johan Cruyff and his 11 trophies.

On 8 June 2010, the Royal Spanish Football Federation fined Guardiola €15,000 following a formal inquiry opened by the Competition Committee regarding his actions and comments during and after a match against UD Almería on 6 March 2010.[33] Guardiola approached the fourth official with, according to the official report, malicious intent, berating the official and speaking into his microphone with phrases such as, "You are calling everything wrong." Following the match, Guardiola accused Carlos Clos Gómez and his assistant Jose Luis Gallego Galdino of "lying" in their match report. Barcelona were given 10 days to appeal the sanction. TV replays supported Guardiola's assertions. The game ended 2–2.

2010–11 season

Guardiola's third season in charge saw the departure of two players who had arrived last season — Dmytro Chygrynskiy returned to Shakhtar Donetsk and Zlatan Ibrahimović moved to Milan on loan. Rafael Márquez and Thierry Henry were released from their contracts and both moved to New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer; Yaya Touré also left the team and moved to Manchester City of the English Premier League. The club signed Adriano from Sevilla FC, David Villa from Valencia CF, and Javier Mascherano from Liverpool. On 14 July 2010, Guardiola signed a new contract to stay with Barcelona until June 2011.[34]

On 21 August, Barcelona beat Sevilla 5–3 on aggregate to win the 2010 Supercopa de España, his second in a row. On 29 November 2010, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5–0, giving Guardiola five straight wins in as many matches in El Clásico. On 8 February 2011, Guardiola accepted the club's offer for a one-year deal extension, signing a contract until June 2012.[35] On 16 February, in the first leg Champions League first knockout round, Barcelona were defeated by Arsenal 2–1 at the Emirates Stadium. The defeat prolonged Guardiola's record of never having won the away leg of a Champions League knockout tie. On 8 March, in the second leg of the Champions League first knockout round, Barcelona defeated Arsenal 3–1, thus winning 4–3 on aggregate, moving them into the quarter-finals.

Early April saw Barcelona move eight points clear of second placed Real Madrid in their domestic league after a key away win against Villarreal CF, making the most of Real Madrid's home loss against Sporting de Gijón earlier on the same day. Barcelona managed to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the fourth year — last three under Guardiola — in a row after thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk 6–1 on aggregate.

Barcelona continued their La Liga crusades for the second El Clásico in the Santiago Bernabéu, which ended 1–1. Lionel Messi scored for his team from penalty spot after Raúl Albiol was sent off. It was later replied by Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo from a penalty kick in the 80th minute of the match. Guardiola suffered his first final defeat during the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal for in the 103rd minute of the match during extra time, giving the club the first title since 2008, as well as José Mourinho's first title for his new club. In the Champions League, however, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the semi-final first leg, and after a 1–1 draw at Camp Nou, they proceeded to Guardiola's second Champions League final in three years as coach for Barcelona.[36]

On 11 May 2011, Barcelona won the La Liga title and the club's third in a row after a 1–1 draw with Levante UD.[37][38] On 28 May, Barcelona beat Manchester United 3–1 at Wembley Stadium to win the Champions League.[39]

2011–12 season

Guardiola's fourth season in charge started with the departure of three players who had been part of the team for a long time. Gabriel Milito moved back to Independiente, Jeffrén Suárez was sold to Sporting Clube de Portugal, and Bojan Krkić was sold to Roma. Two big signings were made — Alexis Sánchez came from Udinese for €26 million plus bonuses and Cesc Fàbregas, a former La Masia graduate, returned from Arsenal for €29 million plus bonuses. To complete the squad, two players were promoted from the youth system: Thiago Alcântara and Andreu Fontàs. The season started with a 5–4 aggregate win over Real Madrid for the Supercopa de España.[40]

Barcelona won their second trophy of the season on 26 August, beating FC Porto in the UEFA Super Cup final 2–0.[41] With the trophy won against Porto, he became all-time record holder of most titles won as a coach at Barcelona. He won 12 trophies in only three years.[42] November of the same year saw Guardiola coach his 200th match for Barça's first team. His record stood at 144 wins, 39 draws, and 17 losses with 500 goals for and 143 against.[43]

Barcelona ended the 2011 calendar year winning the Club World Cup, beating Santos FC 4–0, the widest margin in an Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup final since changing to a single match format. This was Guardiola's 13th title of only 16 tournaments played.[44] On 9 January 2012, he was named FIFA World Coach of the Year. On his 41st birthday, he led his side to a 3–1 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid in El Clásico, ensuring that he remained unbeaten against Real Madrid in regular time as a manager. On 21 April, Guardiola conceded the league title to leaders Real Madrid, after they beat Barcelona 2–1 and extended their lead in the table to seven points with four matches remaining. "We have to congratulate Madrid for their win and the title that they have also won tonight," said Guardiola, after what was his side's first loss at home all season.[45]

On 24 April, a 2–2 draw at home against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final knocked Barcelona out of the competition on a 2–3 aggregate score. That effectively left the team with only the Copa del Rey to play for.[46] Guardiola had faced criticism over his recent tactics and squad selections.[47] On 27 April 2012, Guardiola announced he would step down as Barcelona's coach at the end of the 2011–12 season. He had been on a rolling contract that was renewed annually during his tenure as manager. Stating tiredness as the main reason for his decision, he also commented that four years at a club like Barça felt like an eternity.[48]

Barcelona announced that Guardiola would be succeeded by Tito Vilanova, who would begin leading the first team at the start of the 2012–13 season.[49] Guardiola continued to lead Barcelona to wins in the remaining La Liga games of the season, followed by a 3–0 win in the 2011–12 Copa del Rey final. His record of 14 trophies in four seasons has made him the most successful coach in Barcelona's history.

Sabbatical

After his time at Barcelona came to an end, Guardiola took a year's sabbatical to recover in New York.[50] On 7 January 2013, Guardiola came in third place for the 2012 FIFA World Coach of the Year, behind the winner Vicente del Bosque and runner-up José Mourinho.[51] While at a news conference at the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or gala in Zurich, Guardiola said, "I have taken a decision to return to coaching but beyond that no decision has been taken." Continuing to say, "I don't have a team to go to but I would like to go back to coaching."[52] He also said that he felt it "would show a lack of respect" for him to "talk about any team that has a coach."[53]

Bayern Munich

2013–14 season

On 16 January 2013, it was announced that Guardiola would take over as manager of German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich after the 2012–13 season, replacing Jupp Heynckes for the following 2013–14 season.[54][55] He addressed his first press conference as Bayern manager, on 24 June 2013, in "impressive German",[56] and had his first training session two days later.[57] His first official match was the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund with Bayern losing 4–2.[58] His first trophy with Bayern was the 2013 UEFA Super Cup, defeating longtime adversary José Mourinho, who had just returned to coach at Chelsea. Bayern beat ten-man Chelsea in a shoot-out after Manuel Neuer saved Romelu Lukaku's kick.[59]

In December 2013, Guardiola won his third Club World Cup after beating Raja Casablanca in Morocco.[60] On 25 March 2014, he led Bayern to their 23rd Bundesliga title by beating Hertha BSC 3–1 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. With seven matches remaining in the season, it was the earliest the championship had been won in Bundesliga history, breaking the record Heynckes' Bayern had set in the previous season.[61] Guardiola broke Karl-Heinz Feldkamp's record for the longest winning streak to start his tenure at a Bundesliga club.[62] Feldkamp was undefeated in his first 14 matches with 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the 1978–79 season.[62] The streak ended at 28 when FC Augsburg defeated Bayern 1–0[63] on matchday 29.[64] The streak also ended Bayern's 53–match undefeated streak.[63]

Bayern were drawn against Real Madrid in the semi–finals of Champions League.[65] Bayern lost the first leg 1–0[66] and the second leg 4–0.[67] After the first leg, Guardiola was criticized for his tactics.[68] However, he defended his tactics.[69] Also in the first leg, Guardiola lost his first match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.[70] He was undefeated in his first 7 matches in the stadium.[70] Guardiola took the blame for the loss.[71] However, Philipp Lahm insisted "it was a collective failure and not the fault of coach Guardiola."[71] kicker Sportmagazin "singled out" Guardiola as "the key to the crisis."[72] Guardiola finished the 2013–14 season by winning the DFB-Pokal 2–0 in extra–time.[73]

2014–15 season

Pre–season started on 9 July 2014[74] with the first friendly match on 18 July 2014.[75] Mario Mandžukić was sold to Atlético Madrid[76] because he believed that the "playing style of coach Pep Guardiola simply does not fit him."[77] On 6 August 2014, Bayern played in the 2014 MLS All-Star Game in Portland, Oregon.[78] The all–star team was led by Timbers Coach Caleb Porter.[79] The match ended with Bayern losing 2-1 to the All-Star squad.[78] Separate incidents involving "harsh challenges"[79] by Osvaldo Alonso[80] and Will Johnson[80] visibly enraged Guardiola and after the match he refused to shake Porter's hand.[79] One of the tackles injured Bastian Schweinsteiger.[80]

Bayern lost the German Super Cup 2–0 to Borussia Dortmund.[81] He had declared before the match that "every final is important, especially in Dortmund a bit more."[82] Guardiola used a 3-4-2-1 system in the match.[83] Guardiola handed 17 year–old Gianluca Gaudino his first team debut in the Super Cup and made him part of the first team permanently because of "strong preparation" during pre–season.[84] In a Champions League match, Bayern defeated Roma 7–1[85] which was Bayern's biggest away win in their Champions League history.[86] Bayern's first league loss of the season came in a 4–1 defeat to VfL Wolfsburg.[87] On 11 March 2015, Bayern defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 7–0 which tied their biggest win in Champions League history.[88] Bayern defeated Bayer Leverkusen in a shoot–out in the quarter–finals of the DFB-Pokal.[89] On 15 April 2015, Bayern end a 11 match undefeated streak in Portugal after Bayern lost 3–1 to Porto.[90] In Guardiola's 100th match as head coach, Bayern defeated Porto 6–1.[91] With the win, Bayern got to their fourth straight Champions League semifinal.[91] On 28 April 2015, Bayern were knocked out of the German Cup in a shoot–out.[92][92] Bayern had missed all four of their shots.[92]

Tactics

See also: Tiki-taka

Under Frank Rijkaard, FC Barcelona were known for a 4–3–3 with plenty of flair with Ronaldinho being the centre point of the attack. Under Guardiola the team became more disciplined with a greater focus on possession and a disciplined and aggressive pressing style. He often played a high defensive line with the full backs (particularly Daniel Alves) pushing high up down their respective sides while relying on the passing of Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta to retain possession whilst employing pressing style without the ball.[93] During Samuel Eto's time at FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi was deployed on the right hand side, however, since his departure Messi has largely played in the centre forward role fulfilling a false nine capacity.[94]

During the 2011–12 season, Guardiola made increasing use of the 3–4–3 system, especially when facing two attackers, using Cesc Fàbregas as an attacking midfielder and Sergio Busquets as pivot on the midfield. Johan Cruyff used this system as a basic tactical approach when Guardiola played for Barcelona. Guardiola used this system in a 5–0 win against Villarreal CF because he was short on defenders, and in a later Champions League game against AC Milan, he employed this tactic with most of his players available.

Guardiola wrote in a column for El País in March 2007, when Rijkaard experimented with a three-man backline of his own: "In Barcelona it is understood that you can win a thousand ways. All are valid. All work. There's little more to say. But in Barcelona it is also understood that you can never win and repeat in a way that does not feel right to you—that does not feel right to the directors, coaches, players, friends of the press and the people who go every week to see them."[95]

Personal life

Guardiola was born to Dolors and Valentí. He has two older sisters and a younger brother, Pere, a football agent.[96] He is non-religious.[97] Guardiola met his wife when he was 18.[97] They married on 29 May 2014.[98] They have three children named Maria, Màrius and Valentina.[97] Following his tenure as Barcelona's manager, Guardiola stated that he would move to the United States to live in Manhattan, New York City for a year, until he decided on his future.[99] To prepare for his upcoming position as the manager of Bayern Munich, Guardiola practised German for four to five hours per day, responding impressively at his first press conference there.[100] Guardiola supports the political independence of Catalonia.[101]

Career statistics

Player

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total
1990–91 Barcelona La Liga 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
1991–92 26 0 3 0 11 0 40 0
1992–93 28 0 5 1 6 0 39 1
1993–94 34 0 5 0 9 0 48 0
1994–95 24 2 4 0 6 0 34 2
1995–96 32 1 7 0 7 1 46 2
1996–97 38 0 8 0 7 1 53 1
1997–98 6 0 3 0 5 0 14 0
1998–99 22 1 3 0 1 0 26 1
1999–2000 25 0 0 0 0 0 25 0
2000–01 24 2 4 3 8 0 36 5
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
2001–02 Brescia Serie A 11 2 2 0 – 13 2
2002–03 Roma 4 0 3 1 1 0 8 1
Brescia 13 1 3 1 – 16 2
Qatar League Emir of Qatar Cup Asia Total
2003–05 Al-Ahli Qatar Stars League 18 2 9 3 9 2 36 7
Mexico League Cup North America Total
2005–06 Sinaloa Primera División 10 1 6 1 4 0 20 2
Total Spain 263 6 43 4 60 2 366 12
Italy 28 3 8 2 1 0 37 5
Qatar 18 2 9 3 9 2 36 7
Mexico 10 1 6 1 4 0 20 2
Career total 319 12 66 10 74 4 459 26

International

[18]

Spain national team
YearAppsGoals
1992 2 1
1993 5 0
1994 7 1
1995 0 0
1996 5 1
1997 4 1
1998 0 0
1999 9 0
2000 8 1
2001 7 0
Total 47 5

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 16 December 1992 Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain  Latvia 2–0 5–0 1994 World Cup qualification
2. 27 June 1994 Soldier Field, Chicago, United States  Bolivia 0–1 1–3 1994 World Cup
3. 14 December 1996 Mestalla, Valencia, Spain  Yugoslavia 1–0 2–0 1998 World Cup qualification
4. 12 February 1997 José Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain  Malta 1–0 4–0 1998 World Cup qualification
5. 3 June 2000 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  Sweden 0–1 1–1 Friendly

Managerial

As of 28 April 2015
Team From To Record
G W D L Win % Ref.
Barcelona B 21 June 2007 30 June 2008 42 28 9 5 66.67
Barcelona 1 July 2008 30 June 2012 247 179 47 21 72.47
Bayern Munich 26 June 2013[57] Present 102 78 13 11 76.47 [102]
Total 391 285 69 37 72.89 —

Honours

Player

Barcelona B
Barcelona
Spain

Manager

Barcelona B
Barcelona
Bayern Munich

Individual

Manager
Player
Decorations

Bibliography

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Pep Guardiola". fcbayern.de. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
    2. ↑ "Guardiola, absuelto por segunda vez". El País (in Spanish). 29 September 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
    3. ↑ "Andrea Pirlo a giant of his generation". Retrieved 20 October 2014.
    4. ↑ "Why Pep Guardiola Is One Of The Best Managers in the World". World Soccer Talk. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
    5. ↑ "Greatest Managers, No. 18: Pep Guardiola - ESPN FC". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
    6. ↑ "Johan Cruyff Pep Guardiola superior Jose Mourinho Barcelona Real Madrid - ESPN FC". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
    7. ↑ "Rijkaard until 30 June; Guardiola to take over". FC Barcelona. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    8. ↑ "Noticies 3/24" (in Catalan). TV3. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
    9. ↑ "Messi, Sawa crowned at glittering Gala". FIFA. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    10. ↑ "Josep Guardiola – The Boy from Santpedor". spain-football.org. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    11. ↑ "Condenados a sufrir" (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 22 June 2001. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    12. ↑ "Fabregas: I am like Xavi and Guardiola is my hero". Sport.co.uk. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    13. ↑ "Storie di Provincia: le quattro stagioni del Brescia di Baggio e Mazzone (e non solo)". Retrieved 20 October 2014.
    14. ↑ "Guardiola finally cleared on doping charges". ESPN Soccernet. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    15. ↑ Nandrolone is an endogenous substance related to sexually steroids, and its limits are 2 nanograms/ml. (see medical ref. "El CONI reabre la causa contra Guardiola por dopaje" (in Spanish). ElPais.com. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    16. ↑ "Itàlia desestima el recurs de la Fiscalia Antidopatge contra Guardiola" (in Catalan). AVUI.cat. 30 September 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    17. ↑ "No deal for Guardiola". Manchester Evening News. 20 August 2005. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Pla Diaz, Emilio (1 December 2002). "Josep Guardiola Sala - International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    19. ↑ "Guardiola – National team data" (in Spanish). Fútbol en la Red.
    20. ↑ Tabeira, Martín (2 August 2006). "Catalonia Autonomous Team Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    21. ↑ Bogunyà, Roger (8 May 2008). "From captain to manager". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    22. ↑ Saura, David (8 May 2008). "Rijkaard until 30th June; Guardiola to take over". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
    23. ↑ "Book reveals Laporta wanted Laudrup ahead of Pep". Marca. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
    24. ↑ "Barcelona coach Guardiola declares Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Deco surplus to his requirements". International Herald Tribune. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    25. ↑ Brau, Berta (23 July 2008). "Henrique goes from Barça to Bayer Leverkusen". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
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    27. ↑ "Pep Guardiola – what his players and peers say about him". BBC Sport. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
    28. ↑ "Pep Guardiola agrees new Barcelona deal". ESPN Soccernet. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    29. ↑ "Guardiola: 100 partidos, 71 victorias". Sport.es. 20 February 2010.
    30. ↑ "UEFA Champions League 2009/10 matches". UEFA.com. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
    31. ↑ "Pep Guardiola leaves Barcelona, Tito Vilanova appointed". ESPN Soccernet. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
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    33. ↑ "Guardiola fined 15.000 euros for ref accusation". Agence France-Presse. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    34. ↑ "Pep Guardiola signs new deal as coach of Barcelona". BBC Sport. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
    35. ↑ "Guardiola accepts new deal until 2012". Goal Arena. 9 February 2011.
    36. ↑ Stevenson, Jonathan (3 May 2011). "Barcelona 1 - 1 Real Madrid (agg 3 - 1)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
    37. ↑ Bagchi, Rob (11 May 2011). "Levante v Barcelona – as it happened". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 11 May 2011.
    38. ↑ "Barcelona, Real Madrid finish 1–2 in La Liga for 3rd straight year". USA Today. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
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    40. ↑ "Messi salvó al fútbol". Sport.es (in Spanish). 18 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
    41. ↑ "Súper Messi da la Supercopa al Barça". Sport.es (in Spanish). 26 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
    42. ↑ "Pep Guardiola superó la marca de Johan Cruyff". Sport.es (in Spanish). 26 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
    43. ↑ "Pep hace a Messi más goleador". Sport.es (in Spanish). 3 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
    44. ↑ "La prensa mundial, a los pies del Barça". Sport.es (in Spanish). 19 December 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
    45. ↑ "Pep Guardiola concedes title to Real Madrid and focuses on Chelsea". The Guardian (London). 22 April 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    46. ↑ "Guardiola to leave Barcelona – reports". ESPN Soccernet. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    47. ↑ Jenson, Pete (26 April 2012). "Pep Guardiola's reign in Spain was coming to an end, according to all the signs". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    48. ↑ "Pep Guardiola quits Barcelona to 'recharge his batteries'". Thisislondon.co.uk. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
    49. ↑ "Vilanova follows Guardiola". ESPN Soccernet. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
    50. ↑ Uribarri, Jaime (26 May 2012). "Josep Guardiola, from Barcelona to New York?". New York Daily News.
    51. ↑ "Vicente del Bosque named 2012 FIFA Coach of the Year". goal.com. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    52. ↑ "Pep Guardiola: Former Barcelona boss ready to return to coaching". BBC Sports. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    53. ↑ Mokbel, Sami; Ashton, Neil (7 January 2013). "Chelsea back in for Guardiola as in-demand boss reveals he is ready for return to management". Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    54. ↑ "Guardiola to take Bayern helm in July 2013". FC Bayern Munich Official Website. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    55. ↑ Carlin, John (18 January 2013). "Pep Guardiola: football’s most wanted". FT Magazine. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
    56. ↑ "Pep Guardiola speaks in German at Bayern Munich press conference". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Associated Press. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
    57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 "FC Bayern legt den Zeitplan für Guardiola fest". Die Welt (in German). 7 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
    58. ↑ "Reus eröffnet und beendet den Torreigen" (in German). kicker. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
    59. ↑ Taylor, Daniel (31 August 2013). "Bayern Munich defeat Chelsea on penalties in Uefa Super Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
    60. ↑ "Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola targets more silverware after Club World Cup victory". 22 December 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
    61. ↑ "Bayern Munich wrap up Bundesliga title with seven games to spare". The Guardian. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
    62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 "Bayern Munich: Bundesliga champions in numbers". BBC. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
    63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 "Augsburg stoppt Bayern-Serie". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 5 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
    64. ↑ "Mölders beendet die Serie der Münchner". kicker (in German). 5 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
    65. ↑ "Champions League: Chelsea drawn against Atletico Madrid". BBC. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
    66. ↑ "Guardiolas Plan bringt Bayern in Bedrängnis". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 24 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
    67. ↑ "Chancenlos gegen weiße Bestien". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 29 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
    68. ↑ Uersfeld, Stephan (24 April 2014). "Bayern's 'predictable' tactics slammed". ESPN FC. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
    69. ↑ "Champions League: Pep Guardiola defends Bayern Munich possession tactics after defeat at Real Madrid". SkySports. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
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    71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 Palmer, Kevin (29 April 2014). "Pep Guardiola takes blame for defeat". ESPN FC. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
    72. ↑ Uersfeld, Stephan (2 May 2014). "Mario Goetze unhappy with Bayern role". ESPN FC. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
    73. ↑ Meininghaus, Felix (17 May 2014). "Arjen Robben bezwingt erneut den BVB". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German) (Berlin). Retrieved 17 May 2014.
    74. ↑ "Muskelfaserriss: Saison-Aus für Alaba". Österreich (in German). 20 May 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
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    76. ↑ "Mario Mandzukic joins Atletico Madrid from Bayern Munich". BBC Sports. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
    77. ↑ "Es ist das Beste, dass wir uns trennen" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
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    82. ↑ "Guardiola setzt auf Fitness: "Das Finale ist kein Test"" (in German). kicker. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
    83. ↑ Hartmann, Ulrich (13 August 2014). "Dortmund hebt den Zeigefinger" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
    84. ↑ "Aubameyang köpft BVB zum Supercup-Sieg". kicker (in German). 13 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
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    86. ↑ "Bayern schon vor dem Segen des Papstes überirdisch" (in German). Die Welt. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
    87. ↑ Humphreys, Philip William (30 January 2015). "Bayern run ends in Wolfsburg thrashing". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
    88. ↑ Cryer, Andy (11 March 2015). "Bayern Mun 7 0 Shakt Donsk". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
    89. ↑ Kneer, Christof (8 April 2015). "Elfmeter oder nix" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
    90. ↑ Hafez, Shamoon (15 April 2015). "FC Porto 3 1 Bayern Mun". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
    91. ↑ 91.0 91.1 Starcevic, Nesha (21 April 2015). "Bayern routs Porto reach Champions semis". Toronto Star. The Associated Press. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
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    96. ↑ "Is Pep Guardiola's brother also Luis Suarez's agent?". Socqer.com. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
    97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 97.2 Markus Feldenkirchen; Juan Moreno (14 June 2013). "The Pep Challenge: A Superstar Football Coach Comes to Munich". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 15 June 2013. He doesn't believe in the existence of God, except in the form of Messi and Maradona
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    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Josep Guardiola.
    Awards and achievements
    Preceded by
    Alex Ferguson
    Manchester United    		 UEFA Champions League
    Winning Coach
    2008–09     		Succeeded by
    José Mourinho
    Internazionale
    European Treble
    Winning Coach
    Barcelona
    2008–09
    Preceded by
    José Mourinho    		 UEFA Champions League
    Winning Coach
    2010–11     		Succeeded by
    Roberto Di Matteo
    Preceded by
    José Mourinho    		 FIFA Ballon d'Or
    Best Coach
    2011     		Succeeded by
    Vicente del Bosque
    Sporting positions
    Preceded by
    Gheorghe Popescu    		 FC Barcelona captain
    1997–2001     		Succeeded by
    Sergi Barjuán