Interesting facts about Pep Guardiola

Guardiola is known with bringing new playing styles to football, like Tiki-Taka, which have been used by coaches all over the world since then. Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful coaches in history. He has led Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City to a total of 32 titles. There are some amazing facts about Pep Guardiola that you don’t know. Guardiola likes to dance, and it’s a secret that he had fun at Barcelona’s discos. Let’s take a look at the top interesting facts about Pep Guardiola.

Interesting facts about Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola is one of the top managers in the world today. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most interesting facts about Pep Guardiola that should help you get to know him better.

Pep Guardiola’s Childhood and Background

Pep Guardiola was born on January 18, 1971. His parents are Valenti and Delors Guardiola. He grew up in the town of Santpedor, about 70 kilometers from Barcelona, with his sisters Francesca and Olga and his brother Pere. Pep Guardiola’s love for soccer was clear from the time he was young. He would leave the house and play for hours in the fields near the house.

Guardiola is also very connected to the city of Barcelona. He used to work as a ball boy at the Nou Camp stadium before he joined the team and became its manager. Guardiola later made fun of ex-England striker Gary Lineker for not giving ball boys his jersey, no matter how many times they asked. Lineker defended himself by saying that club rules at the time said players couldn’t give away their shirts.

When Pep Guardiola went to the famous La Masia academy in Barcelona in 1984, his playing skills were clear right away. When he was 13, it was hard for him to get used to the academy. In this city, he met Johan Cruyff, who was also making changes in football, and his life was changed forever.

Pep Guardiola’s Professional Career

Pep Guardiola became a key player for Barcelona in the 1990s under captain Johan Cruyff. Cruyff also improved football. Guardiola made Barcelona’s first team at 18. Cruyff expected greatness from everyone, regardless of background. As a defensive midfielder, Pep Guardiola read the game better than others.

Guardiola played 479 games for Barcelona over 12 years. Guardiola’s Barcelona career ended with calf injuries. Pep left Barcelona for Italy. Many wondered why Guardiola selected Brescia over bigger clubs. The question and answer were obvious.

He joined Brescia to play with Roberto Baggio. During a season with Pep, Brescia finished 13th in Serie A, safe from relegation. Many don’t know but, he had some problems with drug test in Brescia. This story is was one of the Interesting facts about Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola was also in trouble after failing two drug tests in Italy. He was suspended for four months for steroid use, nandrolone. He and other footballers tested positive for steroids. Guardiola blamed illegal supplements.

His 2007 and 2009 narcotics charges were dropped. He joined Al-Ahly in 2005. Guardiola played until 2006. 

Guardiola’s fame as a player gave him the chance to coach a big team, but he knew he needed to start small with a lower-profile team to get the coaching experience he needed before making the jump. This is the reason why Barcelona B was chosen.

When his front door opened, Pep showed us what was to come: he led teams, put them under a lot of pressure, and made having the ball the most important thing.

Pep Guardiola had high hopes for his coaching career after he stopped playing, but he had no idea how successful he would be. One of the fun facts about Pep Guardiola is that he has coached Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, where he left a mark.

Pep Guardiola and Spain

Guardiola has played for Spain 47 times. In October 1992, he played his first game for the senior team, which was a tie against Northern Ireland. Guardiola was an important member of the Spanish football team that won the 1992 Olympics. Guardiola took part in two important international tournaments. He played for Spain at the World Cup in 1994 and the European Championships in 2000. Both times, Spain lost in the quarterfinals.

Pep Guardiola’s Lifestyle

The lifestyle of Pep Guardiola is too fascinating to leave out of any list about him. Here are some quick interesting facts about Pep Guardiola. Guardiola thinks about football all the time. When he’s not working, he cares most about spending time with his family.

Pep is the perfect example of what it means to be cool, and he has a lot of fashion fans who try to copy his every stylish move, from his slick black suits on the sidelines to the coolest beard in sports. His wife, Cristina, helps him in this way. Also, one of the unknown facts about Pep Guardiola is his music taste. Pep likes rock band Coldplay. “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay is the song that he always plays. He does it before every game.

Pep Guardiola’s Idol

This is one of the interesting facts about Pep Guardiola. Many people thought that Johan Cruyff was his idol, but it’s not true. The biggest effect Marcelo Bielsa has had on international football is through Pep Guardiola. Both of them have similar ideas about how football should be played.

Guardiola went all the way to Bielsa’s house outside of Rosario in the middle of the night when he was trying to decide whether or not to become a coach. When Bielsa asked Pep, “Do you really like blood that much?” Pep said, “Yes, I need that blood.” He learned a lot more from Bielsa after that, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Pep Guardiola’s Achievements

Guardiola became Barcelona’s manager in 2008 after winning 15 trophies in 11 years as a player. Guardiola is a winner and knows to achieve great result. As the manager, Josep won 14 titles, including two Club World Cups, two European Super Cups, and three Spanish Super Cups.

Guardiola joined Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga in 2013 after leaving Barcelona. Guardiola won seven German titles, including the league title and domestic double in his last season at Bayern.

In his first season with Manchester City after leaving Bayern in 2016, Guardiola failed to win a trophy for the first time in his managerial career. Guardiola now has eleven league titles with City. Guardiola has won 32 trophies in 14 years. He is a legendary manager. Here is a complete list of all of Pep Guardiola’s achievements:

• 14 titles with FC Barcelona (2008-2012)
• 3 Spanish Leagues (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11)
• 2 King’s Cup Titles (2008-09, 2011-12)
• 3 Spanish Super Cup Titles (2009, 2010, 2011)
• 2 Champions League Titles (2008-09, 2010-11)
• 2 European Super Cup Titles (2009, 2011)
• 2 Club World Cup Titles (2009, 2011)
• Bayern Munich
• 7 titles with Bayern Munich (2013-2016)
• 3 German Bundesliga Titles (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16)
• 2 German Cups –DFB Pokal Titles (2013-14, 2015-16)
• 1 European Super Cup (2013)
• 1 Club World Cup (2013)
• Manchester City
• 11 titles with Manchester City (Since 2016)
• 4 Premier League Titles (2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22)
• 4 League Cups –Carabao Cup- Titles (2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21)
• 2 Community Shield Titles (2018, 2019)
• 1 FA Cup (2019)

Pep Guardiola’s Charitable Work

Pep Guardiola gives a lot of money to good causes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he gave €1 million to buy medical supplies. Also, the Guardiola Sala Foundation has been active to this date. They give the players football kits, cover the costs of travel for teams from all around the UK, and bring in notable fans to see the games, and this is one of the Pep Guardiola interesting facts.

Pep Guardiola’s Sponsors

Pep Guardiola has a sponsorship agreement with PUMA and wears their merchandise on the sidelines. This is one of the many interesting facts about Pep Guardiola that many people are unaware of. Pep previously stated that he accepted this agreement since Johan Cruyff was also sponsored by PUMA years ago.

Pep Guardiola’s Wife

If we don’t talk about Pep’s relationships in our list of interesting facts about Pep Guardiola, the story won’t be complete. Pep Guardiola started dating Cristina Serra when he was 18. After going out together for 20 years, the couple finally married in Matadepera in 2014.

This was after they had each started their own families with the help of their partners. The couple’s three kids are Maria, Marius, and Valentina. In 2019 Cristina moved back to Spain with one of their children so she could work on her fashion business.

Pep stayed in England with the other two children. Since 2016 Cristina has sacrificed a lot since she has been driving three hours daily from Manchester to her office. In 2018, Pep said for the first time that his wife and daughters had been hurt in the Manchester bombing, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds more.

Who is Cristina Serra?

Josep M. Serra Boada and Montserrat Selvas Tarrés, Cristina Serra’s parents, are two very well-known people in their community. Judith is the name of Cristina’s sister, and she is a pretty cool person.

Both Cristina and her sister worked in the family business when they were young. You might be interested in the name of the business her family runs. A business is owned by Cristina Serra. She is proud to own a chain of stores in her home country of Spain that sell stylish clothes.

Cristina has wanted to sell clothes since she was a little girl. Pep’s good looks are partly due to Cristina as well. Cristina, Pep Guardiola’s personal stylist, makes sure that he always looks his best on the sidelines. 

Pep Guardiola’s Social Media

The list of top facts about Pep Guardiola keeps growing. People like Pep Guardiola and Cristina Serra don’t spend all day on social media. They avoid technology and don’t use social media instead.

We could not find them on Instagram or Twitter. Cristina would rather work on her business and spend time with her friends. On the other hand, Pep is busy with coaching. However, the daughter of the couple, Maria Guardiola, is a phenomenon on Instagram.

Interesting Quotes about Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola is the kind of person whose words mean the world. Here are some Interesting facts about Pep Guardiola and his best quotes.

“I won 21 titles in seven years: three titles per year playing in this way. I’m sorry, guys. I’m not going to change.”

Pep Guardiola

«Winning against Real Madrid makes me morbid»

Guardiola on Defeating Real Madrid

“Those who doubt everything are those who are most correct.”

Pep Guardiola

“I hate tiki-taka. Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it’s pointless.”

Guardiola on Tiki-Taka

Pep Guardiola’s Net Worth

One of the most interesting facts about Pep Guardiola is his net worth. Pep Guardiola is a winner, no matter how much you like or dislike him. Being a revolutionary manager who regularly wins championships and gets hired by the best clubs in the world has its perks. Pep Guardiola’s net worth is about €38 million right now, and that number will likely increase.

Even though this amount is huge by any measure, it may surprise some people, given his status and reputation in the industry. Guardiola’s salary at Barcelona and Bayern was less than what he earns at City because he played before the real sports money boom.

Pep Guardiola’s Agent

Pep Guardiola’s younger brother, Pere, is a football agent for the top Dutch player agency, Sports Entertainment Group. The younger brother of Pep Guardiola, one of the most prominent men in football.

The Sports Entertainment Group, headquartered in the Netherlands, is the agent of Pep Guardiola. Besides some of the biggest names in management, the agency also represents several players currently and formerly based in the Netherlands.

Ten Hag is also represented by the Sports Entertainment Group along with Pep, giving Pere a significant influence in the matter. Transfermarkt estimates that his brother’s agency’s value is €231 million.