Being inducted into the "Thousand Matches Coaches" club, Guardiola's greatness needs no numerical proof.

Written by Han Bing. Spanning 18 years and four teams, Guardiola will celebrate his 1000th managerial match on November 9th during Manchester City's clash with Liverpool, marking his entry into the head coach "Thousand Matches" club. The English League Managers Association (LMA) will honor the Spanish coach by adding his name to the coaching hall of fame. Guardiola will be the 39th coach since World War II to receive this distinction, joining legends like Busby, Craven, and Ferguson.

However, there is some debate regarding Guardiola's 1000-match milestone. In the 2007/08 season, he managed Barcelona B for 42 games in the regional league (Spain's fourth tier), which is not considered a professional league. The English "Thousand Matches Club" typically excludes non-professional league matches from coaching statistics. Still, mainstream media accept the 1000-match figure because the coach's role is more important than the league level, and Guardiola’s first coaching title was won with Barcelona B.

Guardiola holds great respect for his "Thousand Matches Coaches" predecessors. Last year, Warrick, who had managed 1960 matches, visited Manchester City's training ground, and Guardiola spent an hour and a half talking with him. Back in 2018, Guardiola was very excited about meeting Everton’s manager Allardyce, who had coached 1064 games. Now at 54, he is among the youngest in the "Thousand Matches" club. "Coaching 1000 games is very special to me. When I started with Barcelona B, I never imagined reaching 1000 matches. I just wanted to do my job well and let things happen naturally. I’m very proud of my coaching career and never expected to win so many trophies; it feels amazing."

Sunday’s match against Liverpool will be Guardiola’s 550th game managing Manchester City. Before that, he coached Barcelona B (42 matches), Barcelona (247 matches), and Bayern Munich (161 matches). In his first 999 matches, he secured 715 wins, boasting a win rate of 71.6%, with only 156 losses. Arsenal is the team he has beaten most often (20 times), followed by Burnley (18), Chelsea, Manchester United, and West Ham (17 each). Over 18 years, only Al Hilal, Wigan, and Celtic remain teams Guardiola has never defeated. Across 999 matches, his teams scored a total of 2442 goals and conceded 813.

Guardiola’s coaching career spans 6642 days and has brought a tactical revolution centered on "Tiki-Taka" to world football. He has led global football tactics and profoundly influenced and mentored top coaches such as Xavi, Kompany, Maresca, Arteta, and Fabregas. Even now, Guardiola continues to explore new tactical ideas; today’s Manchester City plays with strategies very different from those he employed at Barcelona.

At this historic moment, British media recall Guardiola’s personal charm. Nine years ago, during his first training session at Manchester City, his Bentley was delayed due to a gate malfunction, forcing him to enter through a side door and arrive late. However, upon entering the glass door, he accurately addressed the receptionist Stacey by name, having learned the names and photos of all training staff weeks in advance. Later, he shared his championship bonuses with these ordinary staff members.

In 2023, before the Champions League final, Guardiola devoted much of his pre-match speech to praising the head chef Gutierrez, showing his approachable nature. Over nine years, Guardiola has become more modest, changing his car from a Bentley to a Nissan Leaf, then to a Ford Capri. During the pandemic, he even rode a bicycle to work. On the sidelines, his attire shifted from designer suits to casual wear. At the 1000-match milestone, people saw a man returning to simplicity after reaching the peak.

Guardiola’s first match as a coach on September 2, 2007, ended 0-0 and once made him doubt his abilities. The "Thousand Matches Coach" has won 40 trophies, 18 of them with Manchester City, averaging a trophy every 25 matches, a remarkable achievement. Yet, Guardiola never forgets his beginnings: "The most important trophy in my coaching career is the one I won leading Barcelona B."