Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov claims Pep Guardiola just got lucky when he was made manager of the Catalan giants.
Stoichkov, a former Bulgarian international and Ballon d’Or winner, was a team-mate of Guardiola when Johan Cruyff led Barca to their first European Cup triumph in 1992.
He reckons the current Manchester City boss inherited a team from Frank Rijkaard that was destined for greatness with or without him, when he was appointed in the summer of 2008.
“ Barcelona was already cooked,” is Stoichkov’s take on a side that would be inspired by Lionel Messi to win 14 trophies in four seasons under Guardiola.
It is a criticism that has been levelled at 49-year-old Guardiola over his reigns at Bayern Munich and City too – that he’s just in the right place at the right time.
Stoichkov won five La Liga titles and the European Cup Winners Cup in two spells with Barcelona.
Guardiola was a team-mate, and he saw Jose Mourinho working as then-boss Bobby Robson’s interpreter.
The 54-year-old Stoichkov said: “Pep’s work was easy, as he knew perfectly well the infrastructure of the youth system.
“Frank Rijkaard made the squad Pep took over.
“Messi and other players had already debuted with Rijkaard. Spectacular things would have been achieved with Pep or without.
“There was Thierry Henry, Deco, Ronaldinho, Rafa Marquez, Carles Puyol and Victor Valdes.
“There were a few players Pep needed to move, but Andreas Iniesta and Pedro came in, and there was more playing time for Lionel – then the team was complete.”
Stoichkov, now working as a television pundit in the United States, has a rosier view of the young Mourinho.
He recalled: “He was a pretty smart boy. He looked at everything – from training and the warm-ups, to the work we did with the ball.
“Always a paper and a pen, always writing things down.”
