Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola pointing
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola once revealed the coach who had the biggest influence on football, while stating that he was the person that taught him the most. The Catalan native is widely regarded as one of the best managers to have ever graced the sport, having dominated both domestically and in European competitions while managing the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.
Guardiola has sung the praises of several different coaches in the past, including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and long-time nemesis Jürgen Klopp. However, he reserved a special nod to one manager who completely changed his outlook on the sport.
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Guardiola Reveals Influence Johan Cruyff Had On His Career
The Dutchman was both an exceptional player and a trend-setting coach
Speaking to Manchester City's official website, Guardiola revealed that Johan Cruyff was the most influential manager in all of football, discussing how the Dutchman's vision of 'total football' changed his own perspective on how the game should be played.
"After he coached Ajax he came to Barcelona," explained Guardiola. "It was a big club but it didn’t have a specific football culture. We had one Argentina coach who played an Argentinian style, then came a German coach who played a German style. But then Johan arrived and he said: ‘Guys, now we play this way.'
"When I was there you see seven‑year-old kids doing the same training session, with the same patterns, as the first team. He created something from nothing and you have to have a lot of charisma and personality.
Cruyff was a three-time Ballon d'Or winner as a player, claiming the honour in 1971, 1973 and 1974. As a manager, though, he introduced a way of playing that largely inspired the type of tiki-taka football that has dominated elite football to this day — largely thanks to Guardiola's successful implementation of it during his time at Barcelona.
As a manager, Cruyff won one European Cup in 1992, four consecutive La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and one UEFA Super Cup. He was also a two-time Dutch Cup winner during his time at Ajax, though he never won the Eredivisie.
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