His Barcelona sides were mesmerising to watch, and regularly dominated Spanish football. His Bayern Munich team ushered in a new era of dominance at a football club where perfection is the expectation going into every season. Now he’s built a powerhouse at Man City that is still in search of a Champions League trophy after six seasons under Guardiola.
Beyond results, Guardiola is widely praised for his tactical genius and how he’s redefined the way football is interpreted. His Barcelona team drew plenty of admirers for what felt like an era-defining ability to win and maintain the ball. When Manchester United lost the Champions League final to Barcelona in 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson said of Guardiola’s team, “In my time as a manager, I would say they’re the best team we’ve faced.”
However, there is one prevailing criticism: Since that Champions League in 2011, his second at Barcelona, he hasn’t won the trophy since. He’s only come close once, losing the final to Chelsea in 2021.
That 2021 final added to the perception that Guardiola “overthinks” crucial knockout ties, with unexpected selections and overly complicated tactics. None of that came into play in a heartbreaking semifinal collapse against Real Madrid in 2022.
Heading into 2022-23 Guardiola will be eager to prove the critics wrong and show that his brand of football can win the elite knockout competitions outside of Barcelona.
MORE: Guardiola laughs off past Champions League criticisms
Has Pep Guardiola won the Champions League?
Guardiola has won the Champions League twice in his career, and both of those victories came during his time at Barcelona.
The first of these victories came in the 2008-09 season. Barcelona topped their group, a point ahead of Sporting Lisbon, and then they knocked off Olympique Lyon in the Round of 16, winning a thrilling second leg at home 5-2.
This was followed by quarterfinal passage against Bayern Munich with a 4-0 win at the Camp Nou. In the semifinals, Barcelona took advantage of the away goals tiebreaker rule which still existed at the time to oust Chelsea after a 1-1 draw in London. They beat one more English team (Manchester United) in Rome to win the final.
Barcelona followed up that success by lifting the trophy again in the 2010-11 season. Once again Barcelona topped their group, which included FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan, and Panathinaikos. They were drawn against Arsenal in the Round of 16 and overcame a 2-1 loss in North London to edge out Arsene Wenger’s side with a 3-1 win in the return leg.
A quarterfinal pairing against Shaktar Donetsk proved no obstacle, on the strength of a 5-1 win at home. The semifinal draw, against fierce rivals Real Madrid, was one that neither side could afford to lose. Barcelona won the away leg 2-0, and managed a 1-1 draw at home to qualify for the final.
Once again, they met Manchester United in the final, this time at Wembley. They blew the English side away, the eventual 3-1 scoreline flattering Ferguson’s outfit, as Guardiola lifted his second Champions League.
How many Champions League finals has Pep Guardiola coached?
Pep Guardiola has reached the Champions League final on three occasions: twice with his Barcelona side, when he lifted the trophy, and one with Manchester City in 2021.
In the 2020-21 season, his City side were beaten in the final by Chelsea. They went down 1-0, with a Kai Havertz goal just before the end of the first half enough to make the difference. City had seen off Borussia Moenchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout rounds to reach the final, but were unable to take advantage of their opportunity.
What is Pep Guardiola’s Champions League record?
Pep Guardiola has managed 146 matches in the Champions League. Of these, he’s won 92, drawn 29, and lost only 25. That works out as a win percentage of 63 percent.
The table above shows the 10 managers who have coached the most games in the history of the Champions League. Pep Guardiola is third on this list. He is only six wins behind Carlo Ancelotti, seen by many as a European specialist, despite Ancelotti having managed 30 more games.
Guardiola’s win percentage of 63 percent is very impressive, with Louis van Gaal the only manager to come close, with 60 percent.
How many trophies has Pep Guardiola won?
Pep Guardiola has won trophies everywhere he has managed, and he has often dominated the league competition at whatever club he has taken charge of:
Counting all of the trophies listed in the table above, Pep Guardiola has won 31 trophies so far in his career.
While some would dispute how important Super Cups and Community Shields truly are as trophies, there’s no denying that Pep Guardiola is a serial winner.
