Ranking Pep Guardiola’s 5 best player projects
Pep Guardiola had no strong managerial background when he was appointed Barcelona manager in the summer of 2008. Blaugrana took the risk because of the Spaniard's vast understanding of their tiki-taka system and it paid off handsomely as he delivered the sextuple in his first season.
He enjoyed a trophy-laden stint at Camp Nou, followed by another successful three-year spell at Bayern Munich before joining Manchester City in 2016. After leading the club to three Premier League triumphs in four years, Pep Guardiola's reputation as one of the greatest managers in history is untouchable.
Is Pep Guardiola the best manager in history? https://t.co/iJiBOrxZ64
However, beyond trophies and accolades, what makes Pep's legacy more beautiful is his ability to pick up young players and transform them into world-class superstars. He's done that across all three teams he's managed so far.
More importantly, five among the Spaniard's player projects succeeded beyond expectations. In this article, we'll be taking a look at them.
#5 Phil Foden
The only player on the list who is still growing under Pep Guardiola's schooling, Phil Foden, has experienced massive development over the last few seasons. The attacker was presented to the tactician as a 17-year-old prodigy when he took charge of Manchester City in 2016. Five years later, he's become one of the finest young players in world football.
The English forward has mastered the concept of space exploitation, high pressing and tactical awareness under the watch of Pep Guardiola. He excelled in a false-nine role for Manchester City last season, bagging 16 goals and 10 assists for the Premier League champions across all competitions.
For the first time in the club’s history, Pep Guardiola has reached the Champions League final without Lionel Messi in his squad. #UCL
He has Phil Foden now. 😉 https://t.co/yjNva24agH
So far, Foden has made 124 appearances for the Cityzens since earning promotion into the senior team, with a return of 31 goals and 22 assists to his name. The attacker holds a lot of promise for the future and it's only a matter of time before he reaches his full potential.
#4 Sergio Busquets
When Pep Guardiola was appointed Barcelona manager in 2008, he didn't just promote a young Sergio Busquets into the senior team. He also held his hand tightly and molded him into one of the best midfielders of his generation.
Busquets became a pivotal figure in Blaugrana's golden team that took Europe by storm between 2008 and 2012. Alongside Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, the current Barca captain ran riot in midfield and easily outclassed opposition teams. Together, they won 14 trophies at Camp Nou within four years before Pep left for Bayern Munich in 2013.