Over the years, Pep Guardiola has coached some absolutely brilliant defenders. For instance, his early success at Barcelona was built upon an iconic centre-back partnership between Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique.
Having won the Champions League, La Liga and more in Spain, he then moved to Bayern Munich and got the best out of Philipp Lahm, later calling the German defender 'perhaps the most intelligent player' he ever worked with. Then, in 2016, he moved to England and enjoyed a trophy-laden decade at Manchester City.
Indeed, Guardiola won six Premier League titles, with defenders such as Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, and Ruben Dias all vital to his success. One Englishman, however, earned the utmost respect from the Catalan coach.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola applauds.
Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Manchester City v Brentford - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - December 17, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Speaking ahead of the player's return to Man City as a Burnley player in September 2025, Guardiola was full of praise for Walker. He even went as far as to say he was 'one of the greatest' defenders of all time:
“I’m pretty sure everybody is happy to see him back in a place where he has been an unbelievable figure for us. He has been the right-back that defined our time here for the last (eight) years."
He added: “(He is) one of the greatest in terms of consistency and no injuries and playing every single game, an incredible figure in the locker room.
“In (eight) years, six Premier Leagues, a Champions League, (many) titles, always being there in good moments and bad moments.”
And when asked if Walker deserved to be compared with the very best full-backs to have played the game, Guardiola agreed, adding:
“Absolutely, one of the greatest full-backs ever.
“You have to control that side with wingers, I slept like a baby before games with Kyle there. He can handle top, top-class wingers in the world.
“We always tried to help him with the ball to read a situation and he was a better player than maybe he thought. My target from day one was, ‘You are good, Kyle, with your long balls and the quality of your pass and everything’. He was an incredible right-back.”
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Walker's Elite Career for Man City and England
Kyle Walker warms up for England
Walker was capped 96 times by England – scoring just one goal but picking up 10 assists – and will go down as one of the finest right-backs to ever come out of Britain. He played in two finals for the Three Lions, sadly losing each time, first to Italy at Euro 2020 and then four years later to Spain.
His best years were spent at Man City. He played 319 times for the Cityzens, with every appearance coming under Guardiola. In that time, he lifted six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and the League Cup on four occasions.
Speaking in 2022, Gareth Southgate revealed how impressed he'd been by Walker's development under Guardiola. He noted how the player had matured, saying:
“You notice players maturing. For example, Kyle Walker who isn’t captain of his club but he’s such a man within the group, on the pitch, off the pitch, and I think he’s matured a lot over the last two or three years."
Having been relegated with Burnley, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the 36-year-old right-back. Regardless, he will go down as one of the finest Premier League defenders of all time.