Is Pep Guardiola Overrated?

In football, few debates ignite more passion than determining the greatest manager of all time, with many claiming Pep Guardiola as the OG GOAT of managers. Some wonder if Sir Alex Ferguson, with his unprecedented dominance at Manchester United did it better, whereas some believe Johan Cruyff, the visionary behind Barcelona’s transformation was responsible for the man Pep Guardiola grew up to become.

For the modern audience however, they believe Pep Guardiola himself, is the mastermind who redefined modern football. Is it though?

While many fans and pundits consider Guardiola the finest tactician of his generation, FourFourTwo’s controversial ranking of the top 50 managers in history only places him fifth.

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“No disrespect to Steven Gerrard but…” — Guardiola

Despite his incredible success at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City—where he secured a historic treble last season—Guardiola still trails behind legends like Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels, and Bill Shankly.

Guardiola’s placement raises eyebrows, especially given his influence on the game’s tactical evolution. Is this a case of recency bias, or does his lack of longevity compared to Ferguson hold him back? Perhaps it’s the dominance of his teams, built on astronomical budgets, that sparks debate.

Ultimately, Guardiola’s fifth-place ranking forces us to ask: Are we overrating his brilliance, or is he a victim of his own success, setting standards so high that even his genius seems underappreciated? The debate rages on, but one thing is clear—when it comes to the greatest manager of all time, the argument is far from settled.