Pep Guardiola was one of the most iconic Barcelona in recent years, and possibly for years to come, but a return to his home club borders impossible. This is in the words of the Spaniard himself who opened up about why a second spell with the club is highly unlikely.
The current Man City tactician enjoyed a tremendous four-year stint at Camp Nou, winning an astonishing 14 titles and helping the Blaugrana and a young Lionel Messi become dominant in world football. He lifted the Spanish Primera Division title in all but one of the years he spent with the team while also securing two Champions League crowns.
However, Pep feels he cannot recreate that legacy. He argues that Barcelona’s success under his reign was not solely down to him, insisting that a number of other occurrences played a pivotal role. As a result, he believes a second spell would fail to live up to his initial accomplishments.
“As a coach (of Barcelona), it's over. I am not the same, nor do they even look at me in the same way,” the 47-year-old told Spain's TV3 (as per the Daily Mail).
“I was at a fantastic age in which I was taking on the world. We took it on with some incredible players, a young president (Joan Laporta), Txiki (Begiristain)... it was a generation of brutal players and the best player in the world (Lionel Messi). The stars aligned.”
While Leo remains the central figure in Barcelona’s squad, many of those who worked alongside Guardiola are no longer at the club. Begiristain now works alongside Pep at the Etihad Stadium while Laporta lost the presidency in 2012.
He might never return to Barcelona, but Guardiola is enjoying his career in the Premier League nonetheless. He broke several records last season en route to the English top-flight title and looks set to stay with the Citizens until 2021.
