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10 things you didn't know about Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola could be set for a move to the Premier League after Bayern Munich announced he would leave the club at the end of the season.

Pep

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Here, is list of 10 things you may not know about the former Barcelona coach, who has been linked with Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United in recent days.

1. As a youngster doing ball-boy duties, Guardiola was once refused an autograph by Michel Platini, when offered a poster of the Frenchman that had adorned his childhood wall.

2. Guardiola is an art lover, and spent much of his sabbatical in New York - after leaving Barcelona - around the galleries of the Big Apple.

3. Guardiola's clothing has made headlines in the past. He wore a T-shirt in a pre-match press conference last season ahead of the Champions League clash against Porto carrying a slogan promoting a campaign for justice surrounding the death of an Argentinian journalist. Guardiola then celebrated Bayern's come-from-behind victory over Porto just that little bit too much, causing a noticeable tear down one side of his trousers. He has famous company on that front at least in David Moyes and Jose Mourinho.

4. Speaking of clothes, Guardiola's relationship with wife Cristina Serra grew around the latter's family clothes shop in Manresa, in Spain's north-east.

5. A love of smart clothes naturally translates to a love of.... golf. A keen player, Guardiola attended the 2012 'Miracle in Medinah' on the invitation of Europe's Ryder Cup captain and compatriot Jose Maria Olazabal.

6. Aside from his playing career in Europe, Guardiola spent time with Al Ahli of Qatar and then Dorados de Sinaloa of Mexico, which proved his swansong.

7. Guardiola does not do one-on-one interviews - only press conferences.

8. Guardiola is from the small Catalan town of Santpedor in north-east Spain. In honour of Guardiola's achievements, the home ground of local team CF Santpedor was given the name Camp Municipal Josep Guardiola.

9. The municipal council also named Guardiola their "favourite son of the town" in October 2009.

10. When preparing for life in Germany, Guardiola reportedly spent hours with a German teacher while in New York. He gave parts of his first Bayern Munich press conference in German.


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2 min read

Published

Updated

By Bibhash Dash

Source: PA Sport



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