Barcelona. Bayern Munich. Manchester City. With successful stints at three of Europe's biggest clubs and a remarkable ability to work closely with some of the world's best players, Pep Guardiola's impact on football cannot be overstated.
His tactical brilliance and relentless pursuit of excellence have not only led to numerous honours for his teams but have also inspired and influenced other coaches around the continent.Guardiola's journey as a manager began after retiring as a player for his boyhood club, Barcelona, in 2006.
Just a year later, he took up a coaching role at Barcelona's famous La Masia Academy, quickly making a name for himself as a youth coach by achieving promotion in his only season in charge.
In May 2008, Barça president Joan Laporta announced that the first team coach at the time, Frank Rijkaard, would be departing and Guardiola would take his place.There was downplayed excitement at his appointment, but no one could really foresee the success that would follow.