Pep Guardiola On His 1,000th Game: ‘dedication, Passion, Love – In That Nobody Beats Me’

Pep Guardiola will negociate his 1,000th crippled erstwhile Manchester City big Liverpool connected Sunday, pinch nan head thanking “the universe” for having nan cleanable force to people nan milestone.

In 999 matches starring Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, Guardiola has earned 715 victories, a win-rate of 71.57%, and claimed a staggering 39 trophies. While nan 54-year-old agrees pinch Sir Alex Ferguson that his occurrence has somewhat depended connected having outstanding players, Guardiola believes his ain stellar qualities are down his longevity and success.

“Dedication, passion, emotion – successful that cipher thumps me,” he said. “We person won unthinkable things successful Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here. It is difficult to scope and if I commencement again I would not scope it, it is excessively overmuch games. A fewer defeats successful 1,000 games and hopefully connected Sunday I dream we tin continue.

“I wholly work together pinch Sir Alex. It looks for illustration I person mendacious humility but this magnitude – each 10 games we triumph 7 and will tie 1 aliases 2 – it tin hap because you are successful Barcelona, Munich and Manchester pinch nan players I have.”

Of Liverpool, Guardiola said: “If I had to take 1 rival for this milestone, that would beryllium nan champion one. Because I’ve been successful this state longer than anyplace else. I was astatine Barcelona arsenic a boy [and player] and Bayern were important [too], but Liverpool person been nan biggest rival successful this country. It could not beryllium better, to beryllium honorable – nan beingness decides that.” Since nan 2017-18 season, either City aliases Liverpool person won nan title, and Guardiola believes this is now nan home game’s fiercest rivalry. “We created this successful nan past decade, earlier it was [Manchester] United-Liverpool pinch [before] possibly Chelsea, Arsenal,” he said.

Guardiola was asked who he thinks is football’s top manager. “There person been [great] managers passim history. I tin opportunity I’ve been portion of it because nan numbers [show] this,” he said.

Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp’s rivalry was 1 of nan Premier League’s greatest. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters

Rodri is apt to beryllium unavailable for Liverpool’s visit. “We’ll spot [Saturday] but I deliberation we won’t return nan consequence pinch nan world break [ahead],” nan head added. “We are still successful November, nan champion portion of nan play is up of america and we request him.”