'Guardiola's fingerprints touch football at all levels'
- Published
Pep Guardiola's great mentor and inspiration Johan Cruyff once said: "Winning is an important thing, but to have your own style, to have people copy you, to admire you... this is the greatest gift."
As Manchester City prepare for the departure of the Catalan genius, after a decade in charge, Guardiola's legacy can be seen as a monument to the legendary Dutchman who cast his spell over him as a youngster at Barcelona.
Cruyff said: "Winning is just one day. A reputation will last a lifetime."
Guardiola's will, indeed, last forever.
Six Premier League titles, the Champions League, three FA Cups, five EFL Cups, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup won - all in his own brilliant style, or at least the style he feels Cruyff bequeathed him.
Guardiola openly admits - with a hefty helping of modesty - he "knew nothing" about football until he fell under Cruyff's instruction, describing him as "the most influential person in football history".
Now, as Cruyff did in Spain, Guardiola has created a legacy that has changed the face of football at every level in England.
In his decade at City, Guardiola hasn't just shaped elite football. He has had an impact at every level down to grassroots, where even junior coaches adopt his strategies.
Mikel Arteta, who is on the verge of winning the Premier League title with Arsenal, was given his first senior coaching position as Guardiola's assistant.
Enzo Maresca, who is expected to succeed Guardiola at Manchester City, was another member of his coaching staff, who then went to Leicester City and took them back to the Premier League, before winning the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup at Chelsea.
Luis Enrique worked with Barcelona's junior teams under Guardiola before succeeding him and winning the Champions League in 2015. He has since won it again with Paris St-Germain and he is now in a second successive final, with Arsenal waiting in Budapest.
Vincent Kompany, who is now flourishing at Bayern Munich, learned from Guardiola while captain at Manchester City, while Xabi Alonso, who has just been appointed Chelsea manager, worked under him when he moved from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich in 2014.
Quite simply, Guardiola's fingerprints touch football at all levels.
