Man City's 5️⃣ best players under Guardiola | OneFootball

This time, it really is over.

This Friday, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola officially confirmed the end of their shared journey after 10 years of success.

Throughout his time on the Citizens bench, the Catalan coach helped many players rise to the status of global superstars.

So here’s a non-exhaustive list of the players who shone under the guidance of the Skyblues’ master tactician.

Kevin De Bruyne

How could we start with anyone else? Even before Pep, we already knew the Belgian playmaker had magic in his feet, but the Catalan coach took him into a whole different sphere of players.

The driving force of the infernal machine imagined by Guardiola, Kevin De Bruyne thrilled fans for many years with the quality of his passing and his goals.

Under Pep’s guidance, the Belgian also matched the record for most assists in a single Premier League season (20) and became the second-highest assist provider in the competition’s history (118).

Rodri

Another midfielder who owes (almost) everything to Guardiola. Already more than promising at Atlético Madrid, Manchester City and Pep had not hesitated to trigger his release clause to bring him to England.

Seven years later, the Spaniard has become the cornerstone of Guardiola’s system and won the Ballon d’Or. The brain of a machine built to steamroll the Premier League, Rodri also went unbeaten for 74 straight matches with the Citizens.

On top of that, the Spain international can boast of having delivered Manchester City’s first Champions League title to Pep Guardiola by scoring the only goal in the final against Inter Milan.

Bernardo Silva

The professor’s favorite is him. After nine years in which he experienced everything with the Skyblues, the tireless Portuguese takes his bow in the same year as his mentor.

A trusted player for Guardiola, Bernardo Silva repaid him in many ways through his extraordinary technical quality, his work rate and his sense of teamwork. Probably one of the most iconic player-coach duos of recent years is now coming to an end.

Kyle Walker

Not the most obvious name on this list, but the England international went through everything with the Spanish manager.

A reliable Premier League full-back until the moment he met Pep Guardiola, Kyle Walker will always be able to thank the Catalan coach.

Brought in from Tottenham in 2017 for nearly 60 million euros, the Spaniard had made a big bet on the English full-back, and Walker paid him back handsomely.

Fast and relentless defensively, Walker locked down City’s right flank for many years, while also becoming a benchmark in his position. Probably one of the most underrated players of the Guardiola years at Manchester City.

Erling Haaland

There’s no doubt Erling Haaland did not need Pep Guardiola to establish himself as one of the most feared goalscorers on the planet, but he represents something significant for the Spanish coach.

For the first time in his Manchester City era, Pep accepted relying on a “traditional” striker, and that is to the Norwegian’s credit.

A clinical number nine and a monster when it comes to piling up stats, Erling Haaland played a huge role in the Citizens’ first European title, while also becoming the highest scorer in Premier League history over a single season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

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