7 things you probably did not know about Pep Guardiola

Outgoing Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola is without doubt one of the most distinguished figures of the modern game. Having established himself as an intelligent defensive midfielder at FC Barcelona after having risen through the ranks of La Masia, Guardiola eventually took over the club as manager in 2008, winning an unprecedented 14 trophies in four years including two Champions League titles.He then proceeded to take over Bayern Munich in 2013, and has won two consecutive Bundesliga titles at the time of writing, with a good chance of winning another. Despite having lived a life of intense scrutiny, first as Barcelona captain, and then as manager of two high-profile clubs, some interesting nuggets of Guardiola’s life have often escaped the public eye.We look at seven of them.

#1 Rejected Barcelonas initial offer to sign him

Having drawn attention for his control and vision from a fairly young age in his native village of Santpedor in Catalonia, Guardiola first trialled with Barcelona aged 11 in 1982. Failing to impress in his first two trials playing out wide, he caught the eye of the club’s scouts in his third trial in his natural position as a pivote, culminating in an offer to join the ranks of La Masia.

However, Guardiola’s father Valenti noted that the young Pep was struggling to cope up with the rigorous trial routine and turned increasingly quieter travelling back to Santpedor. Worried about his ability to adjust to the new surroundings at that age, the Guardiolas decided to refuse the offer.

Pep eventually joined the club when an offer came around for the second time in 1984, even confiding to biographer Guillem Balague that he had decided not to pursue a career in football if the second offer had never arrived.