Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola Biography

Pep Guardiola Biography

Josep “Pep” Guardiola i Sala (Santpedor, Spain, January 18, 1971) is a former Spanish footballer and current coach of FC Barcelona. He played as a central midfielder and is one of the most successful players in the history of FC Barcelona. Since 2007, Guardiola joined FC Barcelona, ​​first as coach of the B-team and since May 2008 as head coach.

General information

Guardiola was born on January 18, 1971 in the Clínica de Sant Josep in Spain. He grew up with his parents and Valentí Dolors   and his two sisters and younger brother in the Catalan town Santpedor. After secondary education Guardiola studied Law at the Universitat de Barcelona. His university studies and his career at FC Barcelona went together difficult and lack of time he finished his studies after a year.   He is regarded as an intelligent person and Guardiola is a lover of film and theater. Guardiola likes Catalan poetry, protest songs by Lluís Llach in particular, and occasionally he also hockey in his spare time. In addition, he served as a model in several shows of the leading Catalan fashion designer Antonio Miró. Guardiola received on 23 December 2002 Bages Premi de Cultura, awarded by the Associació Omnium Cultural in Manresa to work for the Catalan identity and culture  . He is also a big fan of Coldplay, a band whose career as a trainer in his music used to motivate his players.   Guardiola is married to Cristina Serra, who he met in a clothing store when he was 18 years old, and they have three children, Maria (2000), Marius (2003) and Valentina (2008).   In 2001, Guardiola is cooperation with Miguel Rico and Luis Martín his biography La meva gent, meu el futbol out. Besides football is also a favorite sport of golf as Guardiola.
club football
Early years

Guardiola started with football on the street: “That I was born in a village and the whole time on the street could play certainly had advantages. Against the wall of a house in a village, it is easier to practice than in the center of the city, where the street is no place to play football. I do not know when I started playing football, I think I have as long as I can remember always had a ball at me. Everyone who knew me as a child, saw me always with a ball ” . He started as a club soccer at the local club Gimnastic Manresa, which only had youth teams. This club was Guardiola noted by Oriol Tort, one of the main scouts of FC Barcelona in the eighties and nineties, which also include Sergi Barjuán, Albert Ferrer, Carles Busquets and Guillermo Amor in the same period and Andres Iniesta discovered years later.   7
FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona Josep Guardiola uniform
Youth Player

Guardiola was on 28 June 1984 member of FC Barcelona. On 13 September 1984 he moved into La Masia, the central building of the cantera, the famed youth academy of FC Barcelona, ​​and with his father, mother and younger brother Pere came Guardiola that day at the club.   He attended then the various teams in the cantera. In 1986 Guardiola for the first time the attention of the general public, when he was a ball boy at Camp Nou from the sidelines into the field ran and Pichi Alonso in the arms jumped after the team led by coach Terry Venables had qualified for the final of the European Cup I.   Also in 1986, Guardiola, who was playing in the Infantil team, voted best player of the Torneo del Veraniego San Gabriel. From the hands of Jordi Pujol, president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, he received the corresponding prize, but instead of feeling happy, Guardiola as he wept in the previous finals had missed a decisive penalty kick. In 1989, the midfielder took the Juvenil A, the highest youth team of the club, the final of the Copa del Rey Juvenil. This was however lost to Real Betis.
Johan Cruyff

It was Johan Cruyff who played an important role in the start of the professional career of Guardiola. The Dutch coach saw the central figure in the midfield for his team to championship form. Furthermore, the Cruyff dared to players at a young age to debut in the first team, something highly unusual in Spain at that time still was. Guillermo Amor, Albert Ferrer and Guardiola were the first young men under Cruyff would break into the first team of FC Barcelona. On 16 december 1990, Guardiola at the age of 19 against Cádiz CF in La Liga debut in the first team. Back then he wore uniform number ten, but would eventually number four shirt number of the characteristic are Guardiola. Guardiola on Cruyff:
Cquote1.svg Johan me understand football. It is not just to play it, but also to understand the things that happen in the game. Cruyff has not invented me, he put his money on me, pointed at me and said “I must have you.” I agree that the circumstances were in my favor. There was a hole in the team and that had to be filled (Koeman was injured, Guillermo Amor suspended and Luis Milla went to Real Madrid), but Cruyff had confidence in me and gave me the chance. I think there are many talented people that fail simply because they have no chance. I owe it to Cruyff.
Cquote2.svg

In his first season in the first team was the influence of Guardiola still limited. With four league games, he had however received any share of the Spanish league title.
The Dream Team
A photograph from 1992 showing: Guillermo Amor, Albert Ferrer, Josep Mussons and Josep Guardiola.

From the 1991/1992 season Guardiola was an important link in the so-called Dream Team of Johan Cruyff. He did the quick ball circulation of decline, the basis for the attack of the team. With his passing Guardiola was the conductor of the team and he formed the connection between defense and attack. His role within the team was described as the jugador organizador. Guardiola was the first in a series of jugadors organizadores by FC Barcelona would be trained. Players like Xavi Hernandez, Gerard López, Mikel Arteta, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Marc Crosas joined later in his footsteps. The qualities of Iniesta Guardiola was already convinced at an early stage. On the day Iniesta in February 2001 for the first time with the first selection of FC Barcelona meetrainde noticed Guardiola against the players’ Remember this day, Andres Iniesta will train with you “and against Xavi Hernández” This kid goes to both of us with retirement send “.   Fàbregas was also of Guardiola at an early stage convinced by him in 2001 signed outfit FC Barcelona to give with the inscription” for the future of Barca number four “.

The year 1992 was a peak year for Guardiola. The first highlight was the profit of the European Cup, when after extension was defeated Sampdoria at the legendary Wembley, followed by the renewal of the Spanish league title. During the celebration of the European Cup-profit Guardiola showed for the first time shall be construed as a public speaker. He paraphrased the famous words of the Catalan president Josep Tarradellas, when after the death of dictator Francisco Franco returned from his exile (“Ciutadans de Catalunya, yes soc aquí! – Citizens of Catalonia, here I am!”) By “Ciutadans the Catalunya, yes tenim aquí la! (Citizens of Catalonia, here we have it!) “to cry out.   Guardiola also received the 1992 Trofeo Bravo for best European footballer of 21 years or younger, awarded by the Italian Guerin Sportivo . Gold at the Olympics and his debut in the Spanish national team followed later in 1992. The year ended dampened when FC Barcelona match for the Intercontinental Cup, losing to Sao Paulo. On March 24, 1993 Guardiola scored with a long shot in the cup match against Real Valladolid, his first goal in the first team. The Dream Team with Guardiola also won in 1993 and 1994 the national championship. Lost the UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan (0-4), however, marked the end of the success team. “We all thought we would play against a motley crew, but they gave us a thrashing. AC Milan was so much better that I hoped the game would be over quickly,” explained Guardiola to the finals.
1996-2000

Several players and ultimately Cruyff left, but Guardiola continued under new coach Bobby Robson a fixed value. With the Englishman as coach in 1997 he won the Copa del Rey and European Cup II. In the cup final was won by Real Betis in the European final, Paris Saint-Germain defeated. During the celebration of the victorious European Cup II at the Placa de Sant Jaume in Barcelona Guardiola tried without success the “Zigger Zagger Song,” popular in British football, to introduce. “A qui es veure aquesta juice! Ziga Zaga, Ziga Zaga! No. la sabeu us?” (“See if you know it! Zigzag, zigzag! You do not know it? ‘). The fans and his teammates were completely unfamiliar with this slogan and therefore not to hit. During the celebration of the Copa del Rey, some time later referred Guardiola when he got the word yet as to this incident with “no fare Avui ridícul el que l’altra vegada vaig fer.” (“Today I will not as ridiculous as I did last time”).   At the end of the season 1996/97 seemed to have an end to the period of Guardiola FC Barcelona. AC Parma had serious interest and for the contract was signed. Eventually persuaded President Josep Lluís Núñez Guardiola there with a contract to continue improving at FC Barcelona. Louis van Gaal was appointed as new coach Guardiola and in 1997 after the departure of Jose Bakero and Romanian Gheorghe Popescu appointed captain of FC Barcelona. The 1997/98 season, where he won the fifth national title, was eventually almost entirely to Guardiola passed by a severe ankle injury. In season 1998/99 he won his sixth national title with Barca, which Guardiola’s record of the legendary goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets equaled. Although Guardiola not always agree with Van Gaal, the Dutch coach, he continued until his departure in June 2000 always publicly supports.
Last Season

On 30 August 2000 was Guardiola during a session in Valencia with the national team on a tear in his left ankle.   An operation was necessary and early December 2000 he made a league game against Celta Vigo his comeback at FC Barcelona. On 18 december 2000/4 Guardiola in the match against Rayo Vallecano its tenth anniversary as a player for the first team of FC Barcelona. On 11 April 2001, Guardiola in an emotional press conference that he had decided not to renew his expiring contract, which therefore meant that the Catalan was leaving after many years at FC Barcelona. He explained its decision with the words “I came here without a penny and I’m leaving as a father. I am proud that I’m older become, but I want a new league, new cultures, new teammates and new opponents know. That is the deciding factor in my considerations. “   On 26 June 2001 in Guardiola played the cup game against Celta Vigo last game for the blaugranas. He left the field at Camp Nou with loud applause, carried by his teammates.

Guardiola holds the record regarding the number of red cards in the Primera Liga a player of FC Barcelona. Eight times he was prematurely sent to the side, never dangerous game or a hard offense, but always protest. Guardiola continues with this number Christo Stoitsjkov, Thiago Motta (both seven), Ronald Koeman and Miguel Angel Nadal (both six) in terms of red cards. In addition, he received the season 1998/99 red in the Champions League match against Brøndby IF.

Pep Guardiola Pictures

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