Having played against many of Los Blancos teams for decades, the Catalan boss named the only team that kept him up at night.

No, it wasn't Mourinho's team, and it wasn't Carlo Ancelotti's side that destroyed Bayern München a couple of years ago. The best Real Madrid version ever faced by Pep Guardiola doesn't belong to his coaching days, it belongs to the time when he used to play under Johan Cruyff's helm.

Speaking in an interview aired on Movistar +, Guardiola shared a few insights on his relationship with Johan Cruyff, how he motivated Los Blaugranas to win their first UEFA Champions League in 1992, and how Los Blancos' team from the late 80s was the best he ever faced.

"Real Madrid's team that was known as 'La Quinta del Buitre ('The Vulture's Crew') was the best I have ever seen, to be quite honest. Johan Cruyff always told us how good they were, but he also added that he felt we were better," Guardiola said.

That team, which included Emilio Butragueño and Hugo Sánchez, dominated the Spanish top flight for years, but it was up to Cruyff's side to end their dominance. Guardiola explained how the late Dutch tactician accomplished that feat.

"Sometimes, you didn't believe all the things he told you. He didn't have only one way to prepare a game. He always tried to solidify Plan A, he was never working on a Plan B. Cruyff never tried to convince me to do anything, I just fell in love with the way he worked," Guardiola added.

The Catalan boss kept praising his mentor, adding one more aspect in which Cruyff was a trend-setter.

"He was the first one who paid big bucks for a center back (Ronald Koeman). He was ground-breaking in many ways," Guardiola concluded.