It was the end of a thrilling era when Pep Guardiola decided to quit FC Barcelona for reasons many have forgotten. Did Lionel Messi become too big for the club? Did players stop listening? We recall the Spaniard's exit from arguably the greatest footballing team the world has seen.
Click through the gallery above to see some pictures from Guardiola's time as manager of Barca!
In 2012, after four long years in charge of the Catalan giants, Guardiola announced during an emotional press conference that he was stepping down as manager of the club he spent almost all of his career at as a player.
Not many would have envisioned the success he'd have at Barca. In fact, his appointment in 2008 was seen as a major risk by former president Joan Laporta, who picked the Spaniard ahead of the other contender for the position, Jose Mourinho.
Inheriting a squad of outstanding individual quality, including the likes of Ronaldinho, Deco, Samuel Eto'o and a young Messi, the meticulous Guardiola knew what changes he wanted made to the team to get the best out of its young prodigy. Before any football was played in the 2008/09 season, Ronaldinho and Deco were sold, perhaps because they were seen to be negative influences on Messi.
Download The Soccer Laduma Social Media App Earn Airtime for Selfies!
After bringing in a few players and outlining his philosophy as to how he wanted his team to play, things began to take shape, albeit with a rocky start to the LaLiga season, and the rest took care of itself. A treble in his first season, and the world witnessing a brand of football never really seen before, Guardiola had not only arrived, he had revolutionised the sport.
Key to the manager's success at the LaLiga giants was Messi, who under his guidance became the best player in world football, winning four Ballons d'Or during their time together, and scoring 211 times in 219 matches in that four-year period. It was a match made in football heaven. It was a relationship built on trust and admiration.
From 2008 to 2012, Guardiola won 14 trophies – three LaLiga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three Spanish Super Cups, two UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups – establishing himself as the greatest manager the club had ever seen, something Sandro Rosell called him at his final press conference.
However, for the many good times he had in charge of Barca, there were also bad times, but those negatives never quite affected him as much they did in his final season. Guardiola had become jaded; he began to dream of an extended holiday; he began to worry that his impact on the players was wavering.
Usually, when a boss demands so much from his team, the instructions coming from his mouth begin to lose weight over time. It's natural, and it is why Sir Alex Ferguson is revered and still widely considered the best manager the world has ever seen. Guardiola was unable to see a way out, and thus decided his time at the Catalan club had come to an end.
At the time of his announcement, Guardiola said: "The main reason why I have taken this decision is because four years is many years. I have given everything, and I have nothing left and need to recharge my batteries," but as time went on, he opened up little by little, explaining that he left Barca "because I couldn't motivate my players anymore".
In 2014, he also recalled how there would be a "right carry-on at Barcelona whenever I left Messi on the bench". Perhaps his work with the best player on the planet was done, and that he felt the longer they worked together, the worse things were going to get.
Reports: Messi Could Be Banned From Playing Against English Clubs
While he has gone on to achieve success at Bayern Munich and Manchester City since taking a year's sabbatical from the game, Guardiola was made to coach Barcelona. To this day, that kind of football, in the most competitive of competitions such as LaLiga and the Champions League, has not been seen again.
What are your favourite memories from Guardiola's famous Barca team? Let us know in the comments section below.
