Carles Puyol, a Barcelona icon, has rated Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola as one of the best managers of all time.
During Guardiola’s tenure at Camp Nou from 2008 to 2012, Puyol was a regular in the starting XI.
The former center-back was instrumental in Barcelona’s success during those years, winning two UEFA Champions League titles.
Puyol praised Guardiola before Manchester City’s Champions League final against Inter Milan on Saturday night.
“I (played) with Pep for two years and to be honest, you could already see these leadership qualities in him in all sorts of ways,” Puyol told Laureus Spirit of Sport (as quoted by Reuters).
“The way he spoke, his commitment to the club, and you could already see him as a coach. For me, if not the best, he’s certainly among the top two or three coaches of all time.”
He added, “Even having a coach like Van Gaal, who I love very much, sometimes Pep would even move us around as a defender. He’d switch us into a back three, a back four at times.
“I clearly remember one game against Atletico Madrid and I was stunned at how he could be playing and still visualize the best way to defend.”
