Pep Guardiola is broadly acknowledged as one of many biggest managers within the historical past of soccer – however which younger gamers have thrived essentially the most beneath his watchful eye?
From his first job at Barcelona in 2008 to his present thriving Manchester Metropolis aspect, Guardiola has been blessed with some prodigiously proficient goalscorers.
We’ve crunched the numbers to find the younger gamers who’ve been essentially the most prolific beneath Guardiola’s administration.
Lionel Messi
It’s no shock that Guardiola continues to laud Messi to at the present time, particularly when the Argentinian scored 211 objectives in 219 appearances beneath his administration.
“Throughout my time at Barca, I had many nice gamers within the staff, and with out Messi we’d have gained trophies… however as many trophies as those we gained with Messi? Unimaginable,” Guardiola as soon as mentioned.
“With Messi I had the feeling that Phil Jackson [Basketball coach] had with Michael Jordan. Jordan gained six NBA championships, and I gained many trophies with Messi.”
Messi turned 23 in the summertime of 2010, by which level he’d already scored 85 objectives beneath Guardiola’s administration and gained the Champions League in 2009. Insane.
READ: Messi or Ronaldo? Pep Guardiola has settled the GOAT debate with out hesitation
Erling Haaland
Haaland solely spent one season beneath Guardiola earlier than turning 23 in the summertime of 2023 – however it will be a record-breaking one.
Becoming a member of Manchester Metropolis from Borussia Dortmund, the Norway worldwide scored an unbelievable 52 objectives throughout their treble-winning marketing campaign and cemented his standing as the perfect striker in world soccer.
He’s continued to attain with free-flowing regularity since and has been so efficient that Guardiola has made Metropolis’s ways extra direct to get the perfect out of him.
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Phil Foden
It takes one thing actually particular for an academy graduate to interrupt via and make it at Guardiola’s expertly-coached staff of superstars at Manchester Metropolis.
“Phil Foden agrees to sit down on the bench for six years,” learn Solar journalist Neil Custis’ notorious tweet when the rising star signed a contract on the Etihad in December 2018.
And in 2024? Foden has notched 88 objectives and 54 assists in 277 appearances for Metropolis, gained six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, 4 League Cups and the Champions League.
Sixty of these objectives got here earlier than Foden turned 23 in Might 2023, a real testomony to each his capability and Guardiola’s administration of his blossoming expertise.
