Role Pep Guardiola played in Real Madrid winning three Champions League titles under Zinedine Zidane
When Zinedine Zidane was preparing to become a top-level coach in March 2015, the Frenchman spent several days with Pep Guardiola in Munich.
Then in charge of Real Madrid’s youth team, Castilla, Zidane headed a delegation of French coaches (which included former international team-mates Claude Makelele and Willy Sagnol) to Sabener Strasse to learn from the Catalan.
"He gave me a lot of advice," the Frenchman said on Tuesday ahead of Real Madrid's Champions league last-16 first leg against Manchester City, their first meeting as coaches in an official match.
"He was very sincere with us. We had a lot of chats. I'm not going to share them now, but it was very, very interesting."
And he added: "What he did inspired us. It motivates us even more."
Pep had been a huge admirer of Zidane the player and dedicated an entire chapter to the Frenchman in his 2001 autobiography.
When the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League in December paired City and Madrid, the Catalan said: “It never happened, but I used to dream of playing with Zidane. I’d like to have played for Juventus with him."
Guardiola in 2015 was already a two-time Champions League winner as coach.
But his advice for Zidane helped the Frenchman to claim the next three European Cups as the former Ballon d'Or winner took over from Rafa Benitez at Real Madrid the following January and won the competition in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Despite all that, Zidane still thinks Pep is the best. "It's my opinion,” he said on Tuesday. “Others might think others are better. There are many coaches, but for me it is him.”
“I’m not the best in the world,” Guardiola said in his press conference later in the day. “Not to contradict him. But the artists are the players. I never looked to be the best.
“What he has done in Europe will never be repeated. It was an honour for us that he came to see us, one of the best players in the history of football.
"Since then, he has done what he has wanted. He represents this profession very well."
Zidane left Madrid after leading Los Blancos to a third consecutive Champions League crown in 2018, but returned to the club last March, following elimination from the competition under Santiago Solari.
Ahead of this tie, the Frenchman has never not won it as coach.
In the meantime, Guardiola has been unable to add to his two titles, secured with his brilliant Barcelona side in 2009 and 2011.
The Catalan led Bayern to three consecutive semi-finals, one of which was lost to Madrid 5-0 on aggregate (with Zidane as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant in 2013-14).
At City, he has not made it beyond the last eight and with a two-season Champions League ban now hanging over the club for alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play, this could be his last chance for a while.
Back at the Santiago Bernabeu, scene of many of his great victories in the past including a 2-0 win over Jose Mourinho’s Madrid en route to the trophy in 2011, a familiar face stands in his way.
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