Pep Guardiola has finally settled the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate between himself and the ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
When fans engage in the ‘greatest manager’ debate, usually the same names come up.
Guardiola and Ferguson are normally accompanied by the likes of Jose Mourinho, Bob Paisley, Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp.
Guardiola has won a combined number of 12 league titles during his managerial career - in Spain with Barcelona, Germany with Bayern Munich and England with Manchester City.
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As for Ferguson, he won a record 13 Premier League titles during his 26-year spell as Man United boss, to add to three Scottish League titles from his time at Aberdeen.
On the European stage, the 53-year-old boasts three Champions League crowns - two from his time at Barcelona and one during City’s 2023 treble-winning campaign.
In terms of head-to-head matches, Guardiola saw his Barca side defeat Ferguson’s United in two Champions League finals in three years.
In 2009, then-defending champions United lost 2-0 to Barca in Rome. Two years later, Barcelona, with thanks to Lionel Messi, lit up Wembley with a convincing 3-1 win.
Despite this, Guardiola has voiced his respect for the 82-year-old Scot, who was released from his ambassadorial role at Man United last week to the dismay of many fans.
“In this country [England] and all around the world, Sir Alex Ferguson is the best,” he told journalists in his press conference on Saturday.
“For the time, for the change of teams, for the trophies.
“Being close to one of the most important managers of all time is more than enough. It’s an incredible honour for me and for all the staff, all the assistants and all the players I’ve had. It’s not just an honour for me.
“When people say ‘Pep is one of the best’, that’s because of the players I had, the assistant managers and the assistant coaches - and we have had many. All of them create this sense that we are good - and that is enough. I don’t fight for anything else.
"For the United fans, it's always Sir Alex [Ferguson]. Absolutely fine. I’m not saying I'm a bad manager otherwise, I could not be here for a long time and be a success. But to be the best or not the best, believe me, it's not important.”
Guardiola also explained how Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho made him a “better manager” and that his current rival Mikel Arteta is now doing the same.
Ferguson described his relationship with Guardiola in his 2011 book ‘Leading’.
"I had dinner with Pep Guardiola in New York in 2012 but couldn't make him any direct proposal because retirement was not on my agenda at that point,” he wrote.
"He had already won an enviable number of trophies with Barcelona, and I admired him greatly. I asked Pep to phone me before he accepted an offer from another club, but he didn't and wound up joining Bayern Munich in July 2013."
Topics: Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United, Premier League, Barcelona, Champions League
Luke Davies