Pep Guardiola’s 100th game as manager was a momentous footballing occasion. The 54-year-old Spaniard has managed at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City in his 17-year-long managerial career so far.
Guardiola’s Manchester City thrashed Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium in Pep Guardiola’s 1000th game on Sunday, November 9. It was a fitting way to celebrate the occasion, as Guardiola joined an elite club of managers also featuring the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
Pep Guardiola’s 1000th Game as Manager Highlights an Incredible Managerial Career
Guardiola has won more than 700 matches in his managerial career. A success rate of over 70% in top-tier football over so many matches goes on to fully show his greatness. To add to that, the Spaniard has won 12 domestic league titles as a manager (six with Manchester City, three with Barcelona and three with Bayern Munich).
He has also won three UEFA Champions League titles and six domestic Cups, which fortifies his incredible record. In addition to that, Guardiola’s teams have never finished below third in the league table in any season.
Additionally, Guardiola has come up with tactical innovations like the false nine and inverted full-backs. His teams have usually followed the tiki-taka approach professed at La Masia, Barcelona’s football academy.
However, that does not in any way mean that Guardiola is not flexible in his approach. It was evident in Pep Guardiola’s 1000th game as manager itself, as Manchester City’s speedy attacks frequently caught the Liverpool defence off guard.
Whenever the need arises, Guardiola’s Manchester City have shown the ability to play fast football, comprising one-touch passes and long balls as well. It would not have been possible for them to win six Premier League titles in seven seasons in the fast-paced Premier League otherwise.
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The Great Clubs Behind His Success
In celebrating Pep Guardiola’s 1000th game as manager, we must celebrate the superb teams he has coached in that space of time.
His Barcelona team from 2008 to 2012 consisted of the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets, some of the all-time greats of the game. Barcelona won two Champions League titles in three years under Guardiola.
Then there was the treble-winning Manchester City side of the 2022/23 Premier League season, which had Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Erling Haaland at their respective best. Guardiola’s Manchester City also managed to breach the 100 point mark in the Premier League once, which remains an incredible achievement.
He has had the luxury of having a generous supply of money to sign top-class players, but so have a number of other managers. It cannot be denied that Guardiola improved the likes of Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku as players at Manchester City. Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets and Philipp Lahm are some other players who thrived under his tutelage.
Aside from Sir Alex Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, Marcelo Lippi, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Rinus Michels, hardly any manager in the history of the game can be compared with Guardiola. He has had some titanic battles with Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp over the years, but has emerged as the ultimate winner on most occasions. Pep Guardiola’s milestone further cements his legacy as a manager.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / News Images
Recording Date: 09.11.2025
