Pep Guardiola is undeniably one of the greatest football managers of all time.
Starting at Barcelona, he built an all-conquering side based around the brilliance of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andreas Iniesta and co, which saw the Catalans win a treble in his first season as a manager. From there, Guardiola went to Bayern Munich and won three consecutive Bundesliga titles, before he joined Manchester City in 2016.
At the Etihad, the 51-year-old has won four Premier League titles, completed the first English domestic treble and set the highest-ever points tally in a single top-flight campaign, among countless other achievements. In the process, the City manager has inspired coaches across the country and abroad, with his high-pressing, offensive tactics that prove almost impossible to beat over the course of a season.
But Guardiola also has a humorous side and his responses in press conferences often raise a few chuckles from journalists, while his sideline dramatics can be hugely entertaining. Guardiola regularly becomes so engrossed in matches he struggles to contain his emotion, while his desire to win is also evident to see.
This season alone has resulted in some funny moments, such as his reaction to a booking from Daniele Orsato during a Champions League match, while the experienced manager has been dumbfounded on a few occasions by Erling Haaland’s goalscoring exploits.
With the Premier League set to resume in the coming days, we’ve picked out some of Guardiola’s best and funniest moments from the season so far in our gallery below…
1. Pep wasn’t too impressed with a journalist’s question in pre-season.
2. The City boss wanted to see more from his side during a trip to St James’ Park.
3. ‘On your marks, get set...’
4. ‘What do you mean you won’t swap Barcelona for Manchester?’