It all started on September 2, 2007, during a match between the Spanish Premier League and Premier League, played in front of around 2,000 fans.
Eighteen years later, Josep Guardiola will lead Manchester City to one of the biggest competitions in world football and reach 1,000 games as a coach. Liverpool match in the Premier League on Sunday.
Guardiola, 54, said: “I never thought for a second that I would reach 1,000 games.” “I just want to do a good job, play football the right way and see what happens.”
From his first job at Barcelona ‘B’ to trophy-laden spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, Guardiola has changed the face of football during his remarkable coaching career.
He thanked the great players who have helped him along the way, including Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne.
Guardiola added on Friday: “After that, it’s a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, passion and love. Nobody can beat me in that respect.”
Let’s take a look at Guardiola as a coach by the numbers. And he himself is shocked by this statistic.
Coach Guardiola said with a smile, “The numbers are insane. It’s disappointing.” “When I reach this milestone and read what I’ve done…I don’t think I’ll ever reach that goal if I start again.”
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715
Guardiola has won 999 games so far. The winning rate is 71.57%.
40
Number of trophies Guardiola won during his managerial career. On average, one in every 25 games.
10
His season at Man City was his longest tenure as a coach to date.
9
Most goals scored in a single game by Guardiola’s team. It happened twice. The first was in December 2011, when Barcelona defeated L’Hospitalet 9-0 in the Copa del Rey, and then in January 2019, when Man City defeated Burton Albion 9-0 in the English League Cup.
3
Number of Champions League titles won by Guardiola (2009 and 2011 with Barcelona, 2023 at Man City ). Only manager Carlo Ancelotti (5 years old) has more ability.
1
Number of seasons Guardiola has taken off since 2007. He took a sabbatical from 2012 to 2013, spending time in New York.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
