How Guardiola's Barcelona BROKE Football Forever

Pep Guardiola was nothing more than a youth academy coach, having never managed a senior team before. But just one year later, he was given a shot as the Barcelona manager, and within just one season, he transformed them into arguably the greatest football team of all time, winning six trophies in that year alone. In his four years there, he broke record after record, created a style of football that changed the game forever, and turned a little Argentinian into the greatest football player on the planet. But how on earth did he do it? How did an unproven manager turn a struggling Barcelona into an unstoppable machine? This is the story of how Pep Guardiola's Barcelona became the greatest football team of all time and destroyed everyone in their path. Now, whilst Pep's journey with Barcelona as a manager began in 2008, that's not the end of the story. Pep Guardiola was born in Catalonia, and by the age of 13, he joined La Masia, Barcelona's famous youth academy, where he was quickly recognized for his intelligence and vision on the field. Pep rose the ranks at Barcelona, and he played as a central midfielder with a very distinct style. He wasn't the fastest or the most physically dominant, but he had the understanding of the game better than anyone else, a key feature which will always make him stand out later on in his career. In 1990, he was finally promoted to the first team by the icon himself, Johan Cruyff, who was a huge influence on him both as a player and later on as a coach. And under Cruyff, Guardiola became a key part of Barca's dream team with the likes of Stoichkov, Laudrup, and Koeman becoming the side that won Barcelona's first ever Champions League in 1992 and four successive Spanish League titles from 1991 to 1994. Pep Guardiola then went on to become captain of Barcelona in 1997, a role which he held until he left the club in 2001 and continued his playing career with stints in Italy at Brescia and Roma, then moved to Al Ahly in Qatar, and finally joined Dorados in Mexico, where he would end his career with a trophy cabinet consisting of six La Liga titles, two Copa del Reyes, and a European Cup. Pep would then take his first steps into coaching in 2007 when the Barcelona president Juan Laporta and director of football Chiqui Beguiristain were considering new candidates to manage Barcelona B, and even though Pep Guardiola had no coaching experience, his deep understanding of Barcelona's philosophy, his intelligence on the field, and his natural leadership skills impressed them and made him the standout candidate. Despite having left the club over a decade ago, Guardiola remained close to Barcelona as he studied the finer points of coaching and continued to develop his vision for the game with the aim of reintroducing a high-intensity possession-based style that matched Barcelona's DNA. So, in 2007, Pep Guardiola was announced as the Barcelona B coach and his debut was nothing short of a huge success since Barcelona B, who had been struggling in Spain's fourth-tier division, showed major improvement under Guardiola, winning the league and securing promotion to the Segunda División B, Spain's third tier. Now, whilst Pep was managing the Barcelona B team, it was Frank Rijkaard who was in charge of the senior squad and things were not going too well. In the 2007-2008 season, they finished third in La Liga and got knocked out of both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey in the semi-finals, proving a nightmare season in Catalunya, and this meant that change was needed. The Barcelona Board were looking for a man to take over and bring glory back to Barcelona, and at that time, they were very close to finalizing things with Jose Mourinho. He had won the Champions League with Porto and won the Premier League with Chelsea for the first time in 50 years, so he was the hottest manager around at the time, and this deal almost went through right up until one man blocked it. Johan Cruyff urged the board to opt for Pep Guardiola instead. He believed that Pep's history with the club, along with his great success with the B team, made him the perfect candidate to take charge. Cruyff saw something in Pep that not many others did at the time, as he was just a young and unproven coach, but despite this, the Barcelona Board listened and opted for Guardiola over Mourinho, which would prove to be one of the greatest decisions the club has ever made. But this decision would also mean the club made an enemy out of Jose Mourinho, and this rivalry was one that would get extremely heated over the coming years. But for now, Pep Guardiola was at the wheel heading into the 2008-2009 season with the goal of taking Barcelona back to glory, and boy did he deliver. Now, despite underperforming last season, this was not a bad Barcelona team at all. Just a couple of years before this, they lifted the trophy with a prime Ronaldinho at the epicenter of the team, and entering the 2008-09 season, the squad consisted of stars like Messi, Henry, Xavi, Iniesta, and Puyol. They weren't lacking talent, they just lacked direction, and Pep was about to change everything. Guardiola made instant bold decisions by heavily reshaping the squad, letting go of seasoned players like Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho and Deco, as he feared the negative influence their party lifestyle would have on the younger players in the squad, and he brought in key signings like Dani Alves and while promoting young talents like Sergio Busquets and Pedro to the first team. Pep knew from the very start that this team was going to be built around Lionel Messi. He was already one of the best players in the team, but not yet the best player in the world, as Ronaldo had that spot, having won the Ballon d'Or the previous season playing for Manchester United. However, despite all these changes, his new team began with a shaky start in La Liga, as Barcelona lost 1-0 to Numancia and then drew 1-1 with Racing Santander. But things quickly turned around, as Barcelona then went on a remarkable unbeaten run in La Liga for over 20 matches, proving to all the doubters that he had what it takes to achieve glory, and with his squad beginning to click, Guardiola's side stormed through the league with an incredible streak, and come early May, they found themselves sitting four points top of La Liga with a crucial Al Clasico ahead that would pretty much determine the title. Barcelona thumped Real Madrid 6-2, sending them seven points clear at the top, and they were crowned champions just the week after, making this Barcelona's first league title since 2006. Pep had got his Barcelona team playing an unseen style of football. Their tiki-taka play, quick passes amongst the midfield, and ruthlessness in attack made them pretty much unstoppable. In the Copa del Rey, Pep's Barcelona secured their spot in the final and then crushed Athletic Bilbao 4-1, making that two trophies already for the season, but as great as a domestic double is, there was a bigger prize at stake. They topped their Champions League group with four wins, a draw, and a loss, and were drawn against Lyon in the round of 16, where they made light work winning 6-3 over the two legs. In the quarterfinals, they were drawn against Bayern Munich, where, yet again, this Barcelona team made light work of the German giants, winning 5-1 on aggregate, securing their spot in the semifinals, where they played one of the most controversial games in the competition's history against Chelsea. The first leg was played at the Nou Camp and finished as a goalless draw, but come the second leg, the referee was questionable to say the least. Controversial decision after controversial decision, all seemingly going the way of Barcelona, and then, in the 93rd minute, Andres Iniesta stepped up, putting the ball in the back of the net to send this Barcelona team to the Champions League final. Pep's men were now on the cusp of glory, on the cusp of becoming the first Spanish team to ever lift a treble, and the only thing standing in their way was Manchester United, the current champions, with Cristiano Ronaldo in their team, the current Ballon d'Or winner. Pep lined up his men, Valdez in goal, but back four with Puyol, Touré, Piqué, and Salvigno, a perfectly balanced midfield with Busquets holding, and Iniesta and Xavi playing ahead of him. Thierry Henry played wide on the left, Samuato led the line, and the magical Lionel Messi played in off the right. Pep fielded an unstoppable side, and they made the game look easy, with goals from Eto'o and Messi sealing the final two goals to nothing, as Pep's men were crowned champions of Europe. As great as the team was, there was one man who stood out above the rest, as Lionel Messi finished the year with 38 goals and 19 assists in 51 appearances, which secured the little Argentine his first Ballon d'Or. But as well as things were going for Pep Guardiola and his men, the following season would prove to be more dramatic than the first, as they would continue with their great form, but this year, things would turn out differently in Europe, as José Mourinho was quietly building a super team over in Milan, and he was going all out to take the Champions League away from Pep in Barcelona, in what would be the second of Pep's four iconic seasons in Spain. As Pep moved into his second season, he once again felt the need for Barcelona to make some key changes, most particularly a swap that sent top scorer Samuel Eto'o to enter Milan in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimović, with 48 million euros added to the deal, and this player swap would very soon prove to be highly significant, as we'll soon see. Alongside Ibrahimović, Barca reinforced their squad by signing Maxwell, together with a few other signings and promotions from La Masia, as Pep's go-to starting XI now consisted of Víctor Valdés in net, Maxwell, Piqué, Puyol and Dani Alves in defense, with Busquets ahead of them as the holding midfielder. Xavi and Iniesta were partnered together in the midfield, and up front, the lethal trio of Zlatan, Messi and Pedro, who claimed on re-spot. The season kicked off with the Spanish Super Cup in August, as Guardiola's side continued their success by overcoming Athletic Bilbao, wherein the first leg, Xavi and Pedro scored to secure a 2-1 victory away from home, followed by a dominant 3-0 win at Camp Nou, with a brace from Messi and a goal from Boyan, claiming the first of what would be six trophies in 2009, which shall come very soon. And just days later in Monaco, Barca faced Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Super Cup, which proved to be a tense match that was decided in extra time by a late Pedro goal, marking their fifth trophy of the year. They started the league campaign in a great way too, opening the season with a 3-0 win against Sporting Gijón, and they carried this momentum through the first half of the season, as they went the first 21 games unbeaten in the league, as they were storming to their second La Liga title. In this time, they also lifted the Club World Cup by beating Mexican club Atlante in the semi-final, and winning against the Argentines on Estudiantes in the final, where in extra time, Messi's winning goal secured a 2-1 victory. And with that, Barca had completed the incredible achievement of claiming six trophies within a single calendar year, making Guardiola the first manager in history to accomplish this incredible feat. Come the 14th of February, Guardiola's men would face their first defeat of the season, as Atletico Madrid put two goals past Barcelona to win the game 2-1. This defeat would prove to be the only defeat in Barcelona's league campaign, as they went the remainder of the season unbeaten, finishing top of La Liga with a record-breaking 99 points, three points clear of second-place Real Madrid. But despite all this domestic success, not everything went Guardiola's way this season, as they faced disappointment in the Copa del Rey, as Sevilla knocked them out in the round of 16, and then, taking a look to Europe, they couldn't emulate the success of last season, as one man stood in their way. Barcelona made their way to the Champions League semi-finals, where they faced Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. Despite playing in two different leagues, the rivalry between Pep and Mourinho was already clear, since Pep had taken Mourinho's spot at Barcelona just the year before, and of course, Jose was still very bitter from that. This was like fire against ice, the attacking Barcelona versus the defensive Inter Milan, the two best managers in the world, and, in the end, Pep's Barcelona were defeated, as Jose won the first leg at the San Siro three goals to one, with the Milito masterclass scoring one and assisting two, but it's in the return fixture where all the drama occurred. Within 28 minutes of the match, Inter's Tiago Moura received a red card, and now with 10 men playing away against Barca, it was looking like it was going to be a sure victory for Barca, but Jose Mourinho simply walked up to Pep and told him, you think this is over? This is far from over. It was now a game of the mind. Inter shut up shop, they stifled Messi, and despite a late goal from Pique, Inter managed to hold on, and as the final whistle blew, Mourinho went sprinting down the touchline, finger in the air, flexing his spot in the Champions League final in front of Pep. Jose's Inter eventually went on to win the Champions League, and hugely thanks to their striker Samuel Eto'o, who Pep traded for Zlatan that same year, and whilst Eto'o was tearing it up in Milan, the same couldn't be said for Zlatan, as his relationship with Guardiola had deteriorated over the season, causing a severe falling out between the two. But despite these season's cup setbacks, Guardiola's men could still call this season a success, as they ended it with four trophies and a plethora of individual awards. Xavi was named the 2009 World's Best Playmaker, with Messi and Iniesta placing second and fourth, respectively, and Guardiola himself was awarded the title of 2009 World Club Coach, as he proceeded to sign a one-year extension to remain at the club until the end of the 2010-11 season, where he was not going to let someone get the better of him in Europe again. As Pep kicked off his third season in charge of Barcelona, he was hungry for more, and started the 2010-11 season with a bang, as just three days in, he made a huge move, signing Spanish star David Villa from Valencia for 40 million euros, and then Javier Mascherano for 24 million euros from Liverpool. He then decided to let go of Ukrainian centre-back and midfielder Yaya Toure, who made a move to Manchester City despite Pep's desire to keep him, and by August, two more football giants left the club, and Thierry Henry, who ended his contract to join the MLS, together with Zlatan Ibrahimović, who left back to Serie A after the falling out with Pep. Barcelona kicked off La Liga with conviction, but soon faced a concerning challenge in September, when Lionel Messi was sidelined with an ankle injury following a brutal tackle during a game against Atletico Madrid in a 2-1 victory. Thankfully, Messi was only out for two weeks, and quickly returned to Pep and his team to prove a point, and soon enough, mid-November, an iconic Clásico against Real Madrid would unfold, where Guardiola's team delivered a 5-0 thumping at the Camp Nou, showcasing their mastery of tiki-taka and proving why Messi, Xavi and Iniesta were hailed as the world's top players. But the cherry on the cake for this game was the fact that none other than José Mourinho was the manager of Real Madrid, as he came to La Liga with the intentions of reigniting his rivalry and dethroning Pep and his team. But Pep wasn't going to let José beat him again, and ended up thrashing the Galácticos, who had the likes of Ronaldo, Di Maria and Kaká in the team. The Real Madrid president made a fool out of José Mourinho, as he described this game as the worst match in Madrid's history. This Clásico win secured Barcelona's lead in La Liga by two points ahead of Real Madrid, setting them up for an intense battle for the league title, and at the end of the year, Pep's players were destined for individual glory yet again, as Messi, Xavi and Iniesta were announced as the top three finalists for the Ballon d'Or, with Messi being named the winner for the second year in a row. Heading into the New Year, Barcelona, unfortunately, had their unbeaten run ended by Real Betis in the Copa del Rey, but they surged on with an elite mentality and proceeded to equal Real Madrid's record of 15 consecutive league wins with a victory over Hercules, and even breaking the record in February with a 3-0 win against Atletico Madrid, with a stunning hat-trick by none other than, you guessed it, Lionel Messi. The team also marched into the Copa del Rey final after defeating Almeria, and was set to face Real Madrid in another long-awaited Pep vs. José showdown, in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal in extra time with a powerful header from Ademaria Kroos, sealing the win for José over Pep. But Guardiola wasn't going to let things slide that easily, because only days after the Copa del Rey final, Real Madrid and Barcelona met again, this time in the Champions League semi-finals, where Lionel Messi scored twice in the last 15 minutes of the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu to give Barcelona a strong 2-0 advantage, and though the second leg at Camp Nou ended 1-1, it was enough to send Barcelona through to the final, knocking José and his team out to give Pep the last laugh of the season. Further on into Pep's third season, Barcelona went on to capture their third consecutive La Liga title with a 1-1 draw against Levante, ensuring they remained at the top of the table with a four-point lead over Madrid, and to top it all off, Barcelona ended the season with a club record 14 away wins after defeating Malaga 3-1. But this was not enough, as Barca were so in form that they even went on to claim their fourth Champions League trophy by outclassing Manchester United 3-1, meaning Pep got the better of Man United for the second time in three years in the Champions League final. Lionel Messi was named Man of the Match, and he was the star the entire season, as he ended the Champions League campaign with 12 goals, breaking the record for the most goals in a single season. The 2010-2011 season finished with a double and a single match away from a treble, but this is where this Barcelona team would unfortunately reach their peak. As come the 2011-12 season, Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid were coming back stronger than ever in the league, and things would start to slip out of Pep's hands for once. Barcelona's 2011-12 season was packed with thrilling matches, big milestones, and a few tough moments that gave Pep Guardiola's final year as Barca's manager a bittersweet ending. The transfer window was pretty calm, with only a few changes to the squad. He signed the Chilean Alexis Sanchez from Udinese for about €37 million, giving a big boost to Pep's team in his final season, and also brought in Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal for around €40 million, meaning Barcelona officially had the most insane midfield ever, with Fabregas, Iniesta, Xavi, and Busquets all in the team. Barcelona began the season by facing their fierce rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España, ending in an exciting 2-2 draw to Santiago Bernabeu, and only three days on August 17th, Barcelona turned up the heat and beat Real Madrid 3-2 at Camp Nou, clinching the Supercopa with a 5-4 aggregate score, and Messi shining by scoring twice, including the game winner. But the match ended up becoming super intense, especially after Marcelo's foul on Fabregas, which sparked a brawl that led to multiple red cards. But at the end of the day, this thrilling victory was just another notch on Pep's belt against Mourinho's Real Madrid, setting the tone for an exciting season ahead. Not soon after, Barcelona then claimed the UEFA Supercup with a 2-0 victory over Porto, marking Barca's fourth Supercup and giving Fabregas his first-ever goal in a Barcelona shirt. As the league campaign began, injuries began to plague the team, as newly signed Alexis Sanchez tore his hamstring, sidelining him for weeks, while Iniesta was ruled out for a month with a femoral bicep tear. But despite this, Messi continued to draws, Barcelona responded emphatically with an 8-0 win over Osasuna with a Messi hat-trick. And on the 28th of September, Barca defeated Bate Borisov 5-0 in the Champions League, with Messi's brace bringing him level with Laszlo Kubala as Barcelona's second all-time score with 194 goals. Roll on December, and we witness yet another thrilling Clásico, as yet again Pep's Barca triumph 3-1 over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and soon enough, the Club World Cup in Japan brought Barcelona more silverware with a dominant 4-0 win over Santos, where Messi's brace, along with goals from Xavi and Fabregas, saw the team clinch their fifth title of 2011. The new year began with Pep winning FIFA Coach of the Year, along with Messi winning his third consecutive Bell on Door on January 9th, and soon after Barcelona eliminated Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey with a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou, advancing on aggregate and making the fool out of José Mourinho yet again. But this year, it was José who would eventually get the last laugh. But more on that soon. As the season progressed, Messi was setting more records, netting five goals against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, becoming the first player to achieve such a feat in the competition's history. However, in the league, things started to take a turn for the worse as a 2-2 draw with VARL put Barcelona seven points behind a stellar Real Madrid, with José gaining back his momentum. April was a bitter month for all Barca fans as their team advanced to their fifth consecutive Champions League semi-final but were ultimately eliminated by Chelsea, drawing 2-2 at the Camp Nou in a dramatic match. And to top it all off, on the 27th of April, Guardiola announced that he would step down at the end of the season. Just a couple weeks later, Real Madrid were crowned La Liga champions, putting an end to Pep's domestic dominance. But Barcelona had one last chance to lift silverware that season, which they did in fact accomplish, winning the Copa del Rey final 3-0 against Atletico Madrid. It was then confirmed that Tito Villanova would be the man set to take Pep's place as manager, but Guardiola definitely left massive shoes to fill. After a staggering 14 trophies in four years as Barcelona's manager, Pep left Barcelona with a heavy heart. But even though saying goodbye was tough, Pep didn't slow down one bit as he went on to achieve great things with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, adding even more awards and trophies to his name and proving multiple times that he's one of the greatest coaches in football history. But those are stories for another day, so subscribe to make sure you don't miss them. And if you enjoyed this video, the one on screen is a must-watch too, so give it a click.