Welcome to our Big Interview Icons series where we shine a light on a legend whose name has lit up some of the conversations I’ve had with my guests over the years. This episode focuses on Pep Guardiola.
Rio Ferdinand reflects on Manchester United’s two Champions League final defeats to Pep’s Barcelona and is bighearted enough to wax lyrical about Pep’s genius. He is gutted that he was not brought in to manage at Old Trafford.
Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan loves playing for Guardiola at Manchester City. He’s not an easy man all the time, but ultimately you know that he has got your back, that he adheres to an almost familial sense of personal loyalty.
Namesake and Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders considers Guardiola as one of the best coaches ever, because he is a master at drilling teams to their maximum potential in training, but does so while never impeding the individual class of great players.
When Guardiola took over at Barcelona, experienced Catalan coach Domènec Torrent was one of his trusted lieutenants. They endured a sticky start but the golden Barca era soon dawned, and Domènec gives us engrossing insights into what it was like behind the scenes.
