Sports Nicknames - Pep

Josep "Pep" Guardiola is one of the greatest football managers of all time. That is beyond doubt. Once a player for Spain and Barcelona, the man has won just about everything there is to win at the club level as both a player and manager.



Guardiola started his football career when graduating from La Masia in 1990. Guardiola played as a defensive midfielder under Johan Cruyff, acting as a deeper playmaker. At Barcelona, Pep would remain for 10 years as a player. He would fulfill this role for all 4 of the clubs he would play for in the rest of his career.

It was as a manager that shot Guardiola into the true limelight. He took over as Barcelona manager in 2008 and immediately found success, winning the treble in his first season. Guardiola would win 3 league titles as Barca manager, 2 Copa del Reys and 2 Champions League titles. This was in addition to his 6 league titles, European Cup and Copa del Rey he won as a player in Spain.

After a sabbatical, Guardiola returned to management, this time in Germany at Bayern Munich. He won the league every year he was there, as well as 2 DFB-Pokals. After his 3 years at Bayern, he switched to England, helping Manchester City to 2 league titles (and likely a third at the time of writing).

Pep Guardiola already had the career of a successful player. Now as a manager, he has cemented his legacy as one of the most influential figures on football of all time.


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