Pep Guardiola admits that he owes everything to Johan Cruyff, and claimed that he “knew nothing about football” before being coached by the Dutch legend, who passed away on Thursday.
Guardiola was a raw teenager when he was plucked from the youth team by Cruyff to make his Barcelona debut in 1990.
Just two years later, Guardiola was a key member of the Barcelona team which won the European Cup for the first time with a 1-0 victory over Sampdoria, and he continued to play a fundamental role as Cruyff ’s ‘Dream Team’ won four consecutive La Liga titles between 1990 and 1994.
Guardiola later returned to the club as manager to devastating effect, winning 14 trophies in just four seasons after implementing the possession-based playing strategies he learned under Cruyff.
Now widely regarded as the world’s finest coach, Manchester City-bound Guardiola hailed Cruyff ’s impact upon his glittering career as he said: “I knew nothing about football until I met Johan. His legacy is infinite.
“He protected me when I started as a footballer. He would put me in my place and he gave me a football lesson on how to behave. He made us understand football. His advice was very important. He advised you to use your instincts, to take decisions – he opened your eyes.”
Guardiola added that Cruyff’s ability to think differently about the game was a key message he learned, recalling: “At half-time when you were playing badly, you waited for him to tell you that you had to put in more effort and fight more.
“But then he would tell you that you were playing badly because you were running too much. He said you had to send the ball where you wanted it, not run after it. He said the opposite to everything you had heard throughout your life.”
