Pep Guardiola Insists He Will Never Coach Barcelona Again
Former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola says he has no intention of ever returning to his former role at the La Liga giants as his time at the Camp Nou is over.
Now managing at Bayern Munich, Guardiola coached Barcelona very successfullyย fromย 2008 until 2012 and spent 11 years as a player in Catalonia.
The 43-year-old wonย three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues as manager of arguably one of the greatest club teams of all time but insists he will not return to the position, per Ara (via ESPN FC):ย "No, in principal, I've no intention of ever coaching Barca again.ย I think that there are cycles in life and that mine [at the club] is finished."
In the wake of Guardiola's departure from Barcelona, he took a year's sabbatical before taking the top job at Bayern Munich in June 2013, replacingย Jupp Heynckes.
In his first season in charge, he won the Bundesliga title, and his Bayern side is currently four points clear at the summit of the German top flight.
Bayern are also flying in the Champions League and recently thrashed Roma 7-1 away from home, leading many to heap great praise on Guardiola's continued tactical expertise, per Serie A journalist James Horncastle:
The Spaniard is undoubtedly up there with Jose Mourinho as one of the great managers of the modern game, and many Barca fans would no doubt love to see Guardiola back in their dugout.
The Camp Nou giants are still one of the world's top teams, but they failed to claim any major silverware last season and are currently being overshadowed by rivals Real Madridโlast season's Champions League winnersโwho sit two points above them in La Liga.
Current Barca manager Luis Enrique is under immense pressure in his first season in charge after an inconsistent start to the term, but Guardiola has given his backing to his compatriot, perย Spanish TV stationย Cuatroย (h/tย Sport): "I am sure that we will win and Luis Enrique will triumph but everything in life takes time. There is no champion in November. Sometimes things go off without a hitch and sometimes they require a little more effort."
Guardiola was credited with introducing the famed tiki-taka style that was so effective at Barcelona as they passed teams to death, but he recently revealed his dislike of the label, per FIFA:
Whatever the tactics, Guardiola was incredibly successful at Barcelona and continues to evolve his style and achieve impressive feats at Bayern.
While he insists he will never return to the Camp Nou, at just 43, he still has many years left in his young managerial career.
Guardiola will no doubt take charge of a variety of clubs in years to come with a stint in the Premier League surely inevitable.
His quality is such that there can be no club in the world that would not like to see Guardiola as its manager.
