FCBARCELONA.CAT

18.05.2009 13:23

Guardiola joins select group

Roger Bogunyà

Josep Guardiola has become the seventh manager to win the league championship in his first year and the third manager to win the league with Barça having already done so as a player.

Guardiola keeps insisting that the merit for all Barça’s success goes down to his players, but he too does deserve much of the recognition. In his first year, he has guided the side to the league and cup double, and they are also in the Champions League final. His only previous managerial experience was with Barça Atlètic in the Third Division, who he guided up to Division 2B, but he has already won his place in club history.

Seven out of eleven

Guardiola already belongs to several elite groups. He has become the eleventh manager to win the league with Barça, following on from Romà Forns, Josep Samitier, Enrique Fernández, Ferdinand Daucik, Helenio Herrera, Rinus Michels, Terry Venables, Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard. Of that eleven, only Daucik, Michels, Cruyff and Rijkaard won the league in their first season at the club.

Champion on field and bench

Guardiola is also one of the few players to have won the league as both a player and manager. Only Josep Samitier and Johan Cruyff have done that before. Samitier was in the side that won the fist ever Spanish championship in 1928 and then managed the club to its second title in 1945.

Johan Cruyff was one of the stars of the team of 1973/74 and then managed the Dream Team to four consecutive title from 1990 to 1994, when young Josep Guardiola was one of his most important discoveries.

Third Catalan

Guardiola also becomes the latest Catalan to win the league trophy. His only predecessors in this department were Romà Forns (1927/28) and Josep Samitier (1944/45). It is 64 years since FC Barcelona won the league under a Catalan manager.

Click here to view all the managers in the history of FC Barcelona.