Pep Guardiola hits 1000 games - a legacy in numbers | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola will reach a landmark moment this weekend when he takes charge of his 1,000th game as a manager.

The occasion arrives in fitting fashion, with Manchester City meeting Liverpool - the team, who have challenged him more than any other during his time in England.

From Tercera Division to the Premier League

It all began quietly in September 2007, when a young Guardiola took charge of Barcelona B in Spain’s fourth tier against Premia.

Eighteen years on, that quiet beginning has turned into one of the most extraordinary managerial careers the game has seen.

From Barcelona to Bayern Munich and now Manchester City, Guardiola has built footballing dynasties in three different countries

The Stats Behind the Legacy

Pep Guardiola’s career is defined by numbers that are almost unbelievable.

Before Sunday’s fixture, he has managed 999 games, winning 715 of them, which gives him a win rate of 71.6 per cent.

Across those matches, he has lifted 40 major trophies — roughly one every 25 games — while losing just 128 times.

He has claimed three Champions League titles, in 2009, 2011 and 2023, and 12 league titles across Spain, Germany and England..

The City Era: Dominance redefined

If Barcelona was the blueprint and Bayern the refinement, then Manchester City has been the masterpiece.

Since arriving in 2016, Guardiola has managed 549 matches for City, winning 18 major trophies - including six Premier League titles, four of them consecutively - something never before achieved in English top-flight history.

His City sides have also completed the domestic treble in 2018/19, the 100-point season, and finally the Champions League triumph in 2023 to complete the Treble - something only eight other European clubs had achieved.

Rivalries that defined an Era

It’s fitting that Guardiola’s 1000th game comes against Liverpool — the club that’s pushed him harder than any other.

In 24 matches against Liverpool, he has won seven - including a penalty shootout victory in the 2019 Community Shield - drawn seven and lost ten.

Liverpool and City have traded blows for nine straight seasons, elevating each other and reshaping what it means to compete at the top level in English football.

Despite all the statistics, Guardiola remains remarkably modest about his achievements. “I never thought for one second about reaching 1,000 games,” he said this week. “You just try to play the right way, do the job well, and see what happens.”

It’s the kind of understatement only someone who’s transformed the sport could make. Because what has happened - across 999 games, 715 wins, and three countries - is a managerial career for the ages.