Describing the man Pep Guardiola and what he has achieved in the world of football – both as a player and as a gaffer – would be a daunting task for anyone, as one would always wonder what details to include and what issues should be included. be left out. Since entering the game, Pep, as he is affectionately known, has revolutionized football.
His high-pressure, possession-based style of play commonly referred to as “tiki-taka” proved successful for him and his teams as well as anyone who applied the tactic. It has also been embraced by football fans as the way forward in football. But football isn’t all there is to know about this former midfield maestro. Keep reading to learn more.
Pep Guardiola’s Biography, Age
Guardiola was born Josep Guardiola Sala in Santpedor, Spain. The mercurial manager was born on January 18, 1971 to his parents – Valentí Guardiola and Dolors Sala. Her father, Valentí, worked as a bricklayer until he retired at the age of 66, when her mother was a housewife. Guardiola was the third of four children born into the family. He has two older sisters – Francesca and Olga Guardiola – and a younger brother, Pere Guardiola. Pere is a professional football agent and is recognized as one of the best hands in the business worldwide.
The education history of Pep Guardiola is not known and the facts about his early years are also scanty but it is known that his time in football started very early. (more on this will be discussed later). He is of Spanish descent and holds Spanish nationality.
Football career – As a player
Guardiola played the best part of his football career in the Spanish La Liga, FC Barcelona as a defensive midfielder. He started as a ball player before becoming a professional football player. He joined Barcelona youth (more commonly known as La Masia) at the age of 13 under the tutelage of Johan Cruyff. Six years from now, his dedication and industry would see him rise to senior management in 1990.
The trophies started coming soon enough as he helped the team win the Spanish La Liga four times in a row (from 1991 to 1994, adding the European Cup in 1992 and reaching the UEFA Champions League final In 1994). This Barcelona team led by the legendary Dutchman Johan Cruyff has been dubbed “The Dream Team”.
On a personal level, he won a call to the Spain national team was named the best under-21 football player at that time by a famous Italian sports magazine and won the Bravo Award. He won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics with the Spanish national football team. Injuries plagued him as he organized the midfield for the Barcelona team, prompting him to leave FC Barcelona in 2001, aged 30, after helping the team to win 16 trophies.
His fortune in Italy with Serie A sides Brescia and Roma after 71 appearances was a mix of injuries, poor fitness and ingestion of banned substances meant he would retire from football in 2006 after stints in Qatar and Mexico.
Coaching career
On hanging up his playing boots. Pep Guardiola turned to coaching after being named head coach of FC Barcelona’s B team. It was the revelation of who would turn out to be the best manager in modern football. After just a year with the B team, he was handed the reins of the senior team in 2008, which included Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Xavi and more.
Despite losing their first game in La Liga, FCBarcelona would win the title that season in style – with an unbeaten streak of 20 matches, including their opener against EL Classico – a 6-2 loss to Real Madrid, their great rival. That season, FC Barcelona won the Champions League, Copa Del Rey and La Liga, achieving a treble.
It was just the start of a trophy-laden coaching career for Pep Guardiola. His side retained the league title for the next two seasons, including a UCL trophy in 2011 (his second as manager and his second against Manchester United, the first being a 2-0 win in 2009). He left Barcelona at the end of the 2011/12 season as the most successful manager in their history after 14 major trophies in 4 years. He also left them a football mark (tiki-taka) that would endear them to football fans around the world.
Some of his track record as Barcelona manager includes being the first manager to lead a Spanish side to a treble, astonishing the highest points tally after a single season in La Liga and Europe’s major leagues at the time (99 points). He also became the youngest manager to win the UEFA Champions League in 2009 and was named FIFA Coach of the Year in 2012, among others.
He spent three years at Bayern Munich in 2013 after a long break from football and related activities. At Bayern, his story continued with the victory of his first trophy: the 2013 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea FC, coached at the time by his former LaLiga rival, Jose Mourinho. He went on to win the Bundesliga during his three seasons in Germany and twice at the DFB-Pokal.
His next destination was England with ManchesterCity and he became a trophy for the first time in his career as a manager in his first season there. The 2017/18 season would see a change in fortunes as they won the English Premier League title and the Carabao Cup, breaking numerous records as they left all the other teams in their wake. He finished the season with a total of 100 points, eclipsing the previous record he held at Barcelona.
Salary and net worth
Following his EPL triumph with Manchester City of England, the club offered Pep Guardiola a deal that easily made the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich gaffer the currently highest-paid manager in the world. The Spaniard has signed a new three-year contract which will see him stay at the club until 2021. The deal is said to be worth around £60million. His current net worth is estimated at $41.8 million.
Family, children, wife ( Cristina Serra)
Pep Guardiola married his longtime girlfriend, Cristina Serra in 2014. He met his wife when he was just a teenager (around 18 years old). At the time, he was a model for Spanish designer Antonio Miro. They met at her family’s clothing store. From then on, their friendship continued through relationships.
He tied the nuptial knots with his sweetheart while in Germany with Bayern Munich in May 2014. They held a wedding ceremony attended by close friends and family in the nearby town of Matadepera from Barcelona. They were blessed with three children: Maria, Màrius and Valentina Guardiola.