Louis Van Gaal says it was immediately obvious at the beginning of his tenure as Barcelona that Pep Guardiola was fit for the club's captain's armband.
Van Gaal had been in the job for just six weeks when he made Guardiola captain at the Camp Nou, and revealed that the midfielder's obsession with all facets of the game made him stand out.
Former Manchester United manager Van Gaal was in situ at the Catalan giants between 1997 and 2000, winning La Liga twice and the Copa del Rey.
Guardiola, who has won 25 major honours over the course of his ten-year managerial career, guided Manchester City to a record-breaking, 100-point Premier League success last season.
And Van Gaal said the Blues boss ran the show at Barcelona.
“I made him captain because of his attitude in training and following talks with other players. I liked Pep because all he talked about was football, and tactics," he told Sport/Foot.
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“At training, for example, he came to tell me: ‘Mister, mister, Figo and Stoichkov need to stick to the sidelines so I can distribute the ball with my eyes closed’. He shouted all the time. Now that he’s a manager, he does the same. He lives the game.”
Guardiola's Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City sides have redefined expectations in football and Van Gaal believes the Blues manager is the sole remaining exponent of attacking football.
“There’s only one left: Pep Guardiola," he added. "Ernesto Valverde tries, but not like Guardiola. Same for Jürgen Klopp. But it means nothing because Manchester City haven’t won the Champions League yet.”
