Ranking the 5 greatest players coached by Pep Guardiola
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is arguably the greatest coach in the world right now. It has been nearly 14 years since he first took on a managerial role at Barcelona in July 2008. With 14 trophies in four years at the Camp Nou, he is the most successful manager in Barcelona's history.
However, Guardiola is anything but a one-trick pony. His record of 31 trophies as a manager is testament to his prowess. More importantly, the Spaniard has also had great success while working with young players and improving them, along with a team's cohesiveness and functioning.
31 trophies in 12 seasons. Pep Guardiola is one of the greats. https://t.co/ZKagztTvoL
Pep Guardiola has worked with some of the greatest players in history
Although he has only managed three clubs - Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City - Pep Guardiola has worked with numerous world-class players.
His Barcelona side of the early 2010s is considered the best club team in the history of the sport. Bayern Munich scored 254 goals in 102 league games en route to a hat-trick of Bundesliga titles with Guardiola at their helm. Manchester City, meanwhile, have firmly established themselves as the dominant power in English football under the Spaniard's tutelage.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Guardiola has joined forces with some of the greatest stars the sport has seen. On that note, here's a look at five of the best players the Spaniard has coached.
Honourable mentions: Arjen Robben, Manuel Neuer, Kevin De Bruyne, Carles Puyol, Dani Alves, Franck Ribery, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Philipp Lahm.
#5 Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski joined Bayern Munich ahead of the 2014-15 season, a year after Pep Guardiola's arrival in Germany.
Although the Spanish coach worked with legends such as Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Manuel Neuer and Philipp Lahm, it was Lewandowski who impressed the most during that spell.
Pep Guardiola's priceless reaction when Robert Lewandowski scored his 5th in 9 minutes. http://t.co/bi9Iut86SO
The Polish forward played 104 games across two seasons under Guardiola, scoring 67 times and providing 19 assists. That included 30 league goals in 2015-16 (the third-highest of his career) and nine strikes in the Champions League (the second-highest of his career). The duo won back-to-back Bundesliga titles, as well as the 2015-16 DFB-Pokal.
#4 Sergio Aguero
Former Argentina striker Sergio Aguero is one of the greatest centre-forwards of the modern era. Manchester City's record goalscorer netted 260 goals for the Sky Blues. He was instrumental in their 2011-12 title win, which remains the greatest moment in their history.
Guardiola arrived in Manchester ahead of the 2016-17 season. Under the Spaniard, Aguero played 183 games, and found the back of the net 124 times. The duo won three Premier League titles, four EFL Carabao Cups, an FA Cup and three Community Shields together.
@ManCity
Pep Guardiola, Sergio Aguero. Reunited. 🥰💙 @ManCity https://t.co/i35kSCAnre
Aguero left the club after the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2020-21 season. Although he joined Barcelona, the Argentine was forced to retire due to a heart issue.