Considering how long Pep Guardiola has been at the top of the managerial trade, it’s astounding to note that he is still only 54 years of age. Given that plenty of football managers work into their 70s, it’s feasible Pep could have another couple of decades in him… which could be concerning to other top bosses in the business. But as he marks his 1,000th game as a manager, it seems a fine time to take a look back at his days in the dugout, which have seen him coach three of the biggest clubs on the planet.
Pep Guardiola’s Managerial Record
| Team | From | To | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona B | 21 June 2007 | 30 June 2008 | 42 | 28 | 9 | 5 | 66.67 |
| Barcelona | 1 July 2008 | 30 June 2012 | 247 | 179 | 47 | 21 | 72.47 |
| Bayern Munich | 26 June 2013 | 30 June 2016 | 161 | 121 | 21 | 19 | 75.16 |
| Manchester City | 1 July 2016 | Present | 550 | 388 | 79 | 83 | 70.55 |
| Total | 1,000 | 716 | 156 | 128 | 71.6 | ||
It’s obvious to anyone with even a passing interest in football that Guardiola has been very successful as a manager (we’ll detail his extensive silverware collection later). But the win percentages he’s achieved over the years have been on another level compared to basically every other great manager who’s even shouted from the dugout. For comparison, Jose Mourinho (the manager from the modern era whose win percentage is closest to Pep) has, to date, achieved a career win percentage of 61.76%. While Carlo Ancelotti’s is 59.83% and Alex Ferguson’s is down at 58.10%.
Of course, when you manage sides like Barca and Bayern, you’ve got a great chance of totting up plenty of victories, especially in the Bundesliga, where Bayern have been the top team for a while. But when we look at Pep’s days at City, he’s miles ahead of previous bosses when it comes to his win percentage.
His nearest rival on that front is Sam Cowan on 66.67%, but he was in charge for only 30 games in the Second Division way back in 1946/47. Next up, Manual Pellegrini, whose respectable win percentage of 59.88% is still more than 10% behind Guardiola’s. Others include Roberto Mancini at 59.16%, and then a big drop to Mark Hughes (46.75%), Kevin Keegan (43.75%), and club legend Joe Mercer (43.82%).
Barcelona – Trophies Galore and Historic Treble
Pep got his first managerial job as the boss of Barcelona B, the reserve side of the Catalan giants. In Spain, reserve sides mix it with non-reserve teams, but can never be promoted to the same division as their parent club. But the system appears to work well, both to give younger players some valuable competitive experience and, as in this case, to test the mettle of managers before giving them the chance to take charge of the first team. Guardiola excelled at Barca B, leading them to promotion, and was picked to replace the departing Frank Rijkaard in the Barca dugout ahead of the 2008/09 campaign.
Having players of the standard of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and Deco at your disposal clearly helps a manager’s cause. But given Barca had only finished third in 2007/08, Guardiola’s title-winning debut campaign was impressive. Even more so when he led his side to victory in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League to clinch a fantastic treble.
Plenty more silverware followed, of course, and in total Pep won three Liga titles, two Copas del Rey, three Supercopas de España, two Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups. Not bad for a first top-flight managerial position!
Bayern Munich – Different Country, Similar Silverware
Guardiola was in charge of the Bavarian club for three seasons, and won the Bundesliga in all three of them. He also won two DFB-Pokals, along with the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. But he didn’t manage to land the Champions League with the German side.
His team made it to the semi-finals in each of his three seasons, but lost to Real Madrid in 2013/14, his old side Barcelona in 2014/15, and Atletico Madrid in 2015/16. The man who replaced him, Carlo Ancelotti, led Bayern to Champions League glory in 2019/20.
Manchester City – Pep Takes Premier League by Storm
Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City provided something of a novelty for the Catalan: not a single trophy. City finished third in the Premier League, behind champions Chelsea and Tottenham, while they lost in the Round of 16 of the Champions League to Monaco, the semi-final of the FA Cup to Arsenal, and the fourth round of the League Cup to near neighbours Man United.
Since then, however, Guardiola has delivered at least one trophy every season, with the exception of the 2024/25 campaign. He’s led City to six Premier League titles, including four in a row from 2020/21 to 2023/24, and in 2018/19 completed a clean sweep of all four domestic trophies: the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Community Shield, the first time any side had done so.
He finally won the Champions League with a side other than Barcelona in 2022/23 when City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the final in Istanbul.
With a haul of 16 trophies at City (and counting), it’s almost scary to imagine what Guardiola might achieve in his next 1,000 matches as a manager.