An individual that's considered by many to be the greatest ever manager in football history, and his position in that argument was further strengthened after leading Manchester City to a historic treble. The magnificent season with Manchester City saw Pep Guardiola achieved a legendary feat as well, as he became the first ever manager in football history to win 2 trebles ( with the other treble being won while managing Barcelona). Even achieving a single treble is a very rare occurrence in football, and it is very likely that thus glorious feat by Pep might never ever be broken in football. Guardiola's excellence as a coach however, has come with one major negative aspect. It has completely overshadowed the brilliance of his playing career, and the fact that he was a footballer is even unknown to many. Let us look at Pep Guardiola the footballer, who went on to have a magnificent career in the same Barcelona where he began his coaching career.

The period of success under Cruyff

Pep Guardiola came through the Barcelona youth academy, and rised through the ranks over the years to finally get promoted to the first team. It was in the year of 1990 that he made his debut vs Cadiz, playing as a defensive-midfielder.

Pep became a first-team regular at Barcelona during the 1991–92 season, and he was considered as one of the finest young players in football at the time. He was an instrument part of the legendary Barcelona "Dream Team" Managed by Johan Cruyff, which went on to retain the La Liga title in during both 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons. They had also achieved European success during Cruyff, having won the European Cup under him. The departure of Cruyff in 1996 had a huge effect on Barcelona at the time, with Barcelona finishing fourth in the 1994–95 season and third in the 1995–96 season. Despite all of this, Guardiola was still able to keep his place in Barcelona's midfield.

A new era

The 1996–97 season saw Barcelona back to winning ways, as the club went on to win 3 major trophies under Bobby Robson. They won the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España, and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Much of the dream team had left around this time, with new signings Luís Figo and Ronaldo being the new stars of the team. The next season saw Pep Guardiola become club captain under new manager Louis van Gaal, but a calf muscle injury ruled Guardiola out of most of the 1997–98 season, in which Barcelona won a league and cup double. Pep had offers from Parma and Roma around this time, but he ended up signing a contract extension with the Blaugrana until 2001.

The final phase

After his return from injury, Guardiola went on to win yet another La Liga title with Barcelona. The contributions of Rivaldo and Luis Figo were instrumental for the club's success at the time. Pep Guardiola's career was highly overshadowed by injuries after this, as a major  surgery for calf injury saw him miss the 1998 FIFA World Cup. This was followed by a disappointing 1999–2000 season that again ended in surgery,  Guardiola missing the last three months of the season with a serious ankle injury. The 2000-2001 season did not see Barcelona win any silverware, even though they were able to secure Champions League qualifications after finishing 4th.

On 11 April 2001, Pep Guardiola announced his decision to leave the club after 17 years of service. He played his last match for Barcelona in the final game of the season against Celta de Vigo on On 24th June 2001. It was the end of an era, and a magical career that saw him win 6 La Liga titles and a European Cup with Barca.

The club bid farewell to it's legendary player, without the slightest clue that he would once again be back for them and lead them to historical success as a coach.

Here are some notable statistics from his playing career with Barcelona:

Appearances: Guardiola made over 350 appearances for Barcelona during his time as a player.

Goals: He was not known for scoring many goals, but he did contribute with some important strikes. Guardiola scored around 10 goals during his Barcelona career.

La Liga Titles: Guardiola won six La Liga titles with Barcelona (1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1997-98, and 1998-99).

UEFA Champions League: He won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in the 1991-92 season, playing a key role in the team's success.

Copa del Rey: Guardiola also won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona in the 1996-97 season.

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: Barcelona won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in the 1996-97 season with Guardiola as part of the squad.

Olympic Gold Medal: Guardiola won a gold medal with the Spanish national team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

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