11 Things You Didn’t Know About Pep Guardiola

Josep “Pep” Guardiola Sala is a Spanish professional football manager and former player. Born 18 January 1971 (age 49 years), in Santpedor, Spain, Pep’s stands at 1.8 m of height and weighs 79kg. He is considered one of the greatest coaches in the world of football these days. Having first made a name for himself as a technically brilliant midfielder, the Spaniard has become an even greater manager; winning everything there is to win in club football. Here, we serve up 11 things that you don’t about the charismatic Manchester City boss.

1. He’s Worth a Scorching $ 41.8 Million.

Forbes estimated that Pep’s net worth is at $41.8 million, which makes him the highest paid football coach in the world presently.

2.  He’s an author.

In 2001, he released the book ‘La meva gent, el meu futbol’ (my people, my football) in conjunction with Lu Martin and Miguel Rico, two of Spain’s most respected football journalists. Part biography, part guide to Pep’s game, straight from the horse’s mouth: an absolute must read if you want to understand Guardiola.

3. Tested for substance abuse in Italy.

Soon after joining Italian side Brescia, Pep tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing steroid called nandrolone with a second test returning the same results. He was put on a four-month ban after it was found that he had two nano grammes of nandrolone. He was cleared of all charges after it was discovered that his body naturally produced up to nine nano grammes of nandrolone. 

4. Most stylish football manager.

 Nicknamed by many as ‘the most stylish man in football’ and inspiring blogs such as Dress Yourself Like Pep Guardiola, means that this Catalan player-turned-manager could not be left off our list. From striking black suits on the sidelines to sporting sport’s most stylish stubble, Pep really epitomizes what it means to be cool and has acquired a legion of fashion fans copying his every stylish move. Pep has posed for GQ magazine Spanish and Italian editions.

5. One of the most intelligent football managers.

Pep has a degree in physiotherapy. He can speak six different languages…German, English, Spanish, Catalan, Italian and a little bit of French and has received several honours as well, during his illustrious career both as a player and a manager, Guardiola has won several accolades. 

6.  Pep won an Olympic Gold Medal.

Having scored the opening goal of the 1992 Olympics as hosts Spain defeated Colombia 4-0, Guardiola was a key part of the Spanish team that won Olympic gold that year. In the final, Spain would beat Poland 3-2.

7.  25 years of commitment phobia? .… you may say.

His commitment issues meant it took him 25 years to finally marry his childhood sweetheart Cristina Serra. Pep Guardiola married his longtime sweetheart Cristina in May 2014. The couple have been together since Pep was 18 years old, and they have three children: Maria, Marius and Valentina.

8. There is a Stadium named after him.

Pep’s hometown fellas are so proud of his achievements that they chose to name their stadium after him. Hailing from the small Catalan town of Santpedor, Guardiola’s success in the beautiful game saw his hometown team name their ground after him. 

9. Guardiola’s work tactics.

Ever imagined what Pep Guardiola does right from one game week to another, during the weekdays? Well, apart from conducting the training sessions of the first team squad, the Spaniard resorts to his whiteboard and DVD Player, watching videos of his next opponent and creating notes about their strengths and weaknesses. He probably does this for the first 2-3 days of the preparation week. But the real magic happens on the day before the game. Pep spends the evening before the game locked up in his room, where he tries to find the way to win the match on the next day. Guardiola has explained in the biographies that it’s a frustrating process, but when he finds the answer to success against the next opposition, that is the point where he believes his love for the job.

10. Pep will not do one-on-one interviews 

Guardiola does not do one-on-one interviews; he only does press conferences.

11. Did you know that Guardiola and Mourinho were BFFS?

For over a decade, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho have been fierce rivals. That wasn’t always the case, though, for they were good friends when Jose worked as an interpreter at Barcelona under Sir Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal.