"Get out of the dressing room, I'm the one who decides here."

Whether as a player or as a coach, Pep Guardiola has never hidden the fact that he owes a great deal to Johan Cruyff. The Dutch legend first introduced the young and fragile La Masia midfielder into his first team, before pushing for him to return to coach the B team after his playing career. And finally, he took over as coach of the main side from Frank Rijkaard in 2008. In his memoirs, the three-time Ballon d'Or winner recounts this period and the advice he gave his disciple: "I remember when Pep was appointed coach of the first team. He wanted to know what I thought. I told him that I had a golden rule. If he was able to tell the director: "Get out of the dressing room, I'm the one who decides here," then he was ready to become the head coach. If he wasn't able to do that, I advised him to stay in the B team. Life was much quieter there. I especially wanted to emphasize the fact that he had to be the leader, the one who makes the decisions and takes responsibility for the consequences. You should never be fired for decisions that others have made. In this area, Pep is on the same page as me. He takes what interests him from others, and he integrates it into his own vision."