'I would not be here without him': Pep Guardiola reveals the man who completely changed his career

In an exclusive interview in 2018, Pep Guardiola tells about his former coach and mentor, a man who taught him to always 'want more and more'.

"He was unique, totally unique," Pep Guardiola says of Johan Cruyff. "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."

During the 2008-09 season, when Guardiola was 37 years old, Barcelona won the treble of the Copa del Rey, La Liga, and the Champions League, defeating Manchester United 2-0 in the final. This incredible managerial debut sealed Guardiola's reputation, but he emphasizes:

"I always went that season to see Johan to try to make him feel how grateful I was to him. Of course, I wanted to talk to him about new ideas, but the main feeling I always had when I said goodbye was that he might feel how pleased I am and see how deep my gratitude goes."

Author: Andrii Sokolovskyi