Brescia, Italy Brèsa
—  Comune  —
Città di Brescia
Panorama of Brescia
Brescia, Italy Location of Brescia, Italy in Italy
Coordinates: 45°32′N 10°14′E / 45.533°N 10.233°E / 45.533; 10.233
Country	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province	Brescia (BS)
Frazioni	Fornaci, Sant'Eufemia, San Polo, Urago Mella, Sant'Anna, Mompiano
Government
• Mayor	Adriano Paroli (PdL)
Area
• Total	90.7 km2 (35.0 sq mi)
Elevation	149 m (489 ft)
Population (April 2011)
• Total	197,250
• Density	2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
Demonym	Bresciani
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	25100
Dialing code	030
Patron saint	Sts. Faustino and Giovita
Saint day	February 15
Website	Official website

Brescia ([ˈbreʃʃa] ( listen); Lombard: Brèsa [ˈbrɛsa]; Latin: Brixia) is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan. Brescia is known as the Lioness of Italy (Leonessa d'Italia) after ten days of popular uprising that took place in the city in the Spring of 1849 against Austrian rule.

The city is the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia, one of the largest in Italy, with about 1,200,000 inhabitants. The ancient city of Brixia, Brescia has been an important regional centre since pre-Roman times and a number of Roman and medieval monuments are preserved, among the latter the prominent castle. The city is at the centre of the third-largest Italian industrial area, concentrating on mechanical and automotive engineering and machine tools, as well as the Beretta arms firm. Its companies are typically small or medium-sized enterprises, often with family management. The financial sector is also a major employer, and the tourist trade benefits from the proximity of Lake Garda, Lake Iseo and the Alps.

The plan of the old town is rectangular, and the streets intersect at right angles, a peculiarity handed down from Roman times, though the area enclosed by the medieval walls is larger than that of the Roman town, which occupied the north-eastern quarter of the current "Centro storico" (the old town).

The Piazza del Foro (Forum Square) marks the site of the Roman-time forum: on the short north side, on the side of the Colle Cidneo (Cidneo Hill) dramatically stands a Corinthian temple with three cellae, which was rediscovered starting in 1823. This temple complex, built on top of an earlier, smaller temple dating from Republican times, was probably the Capitolium of the city; it was erected by Vespasian in 73 AD (if the inscription really belongs to the building^[1]). During excavation, in 1826, a splendid bronze statue of a winged Victory was found within the Capitolium, apparently hidden in late antiquity, probably to preserve it from one of the various sackings that the town had to endure in those times.

The Capitolium used to house the Brescia Roman museum but it has been moved to the nearby Santa Giulia (St Julia) complex, a former powerful nunnery, which during Lombard domination was headed by Princess Anselperga, daughter of King Desiderius.

In the area are visible (although not open to the public) various other Roman remains. Among these, on the south side of Forum Square there are scanty remains of a building called the curia but which may have been a basilica.

East of the Capitolium, and in antiquity attached to it, stands the imposing Roman theatre. Now only part of it is visible because of a palace built in Renaissance times on the slopes of Cidneo Hill, which in time slid down to cover the entire Capitolium-theatre area. It was again used for public performances in the early XX Century but has now long been closed to the public.

History[link]

Ancient era[link]

Remains of the Roman Capitolium.

Various mythological versions of the foundation of Brescia exist: one assigns it to Hercules while another attributes its foundation as Altilia ("the other Ilium") by a fugitive from the siege of Troy. According to a further myth, the founder was the king of the Ligures, Cidnus, who had invaded the Padan Plain in the late Bronze Age; this myth has given its name to the hill where the medieval castle now stands, Colle Cidneo (Cidnus's Hill). Scholars attribute the foundation to the Etruscans.

Invaded by the Gallic Cenomani, allies of the Insubres, in the 4th century BC, it became their capital. The city became Roman in 225 BC, when the Cenomani submitted to the Romans. During the Carthaginian Wars 'Brixia' (as it was called then) was usually allied with the Romans. In 202 BC it was part of a Celtic confederation against them, but, after a secret agreement, changed sides and attacked the Insubres by surprise, destroying them. Subsequently the city and the tribe entered the Roman world peacefully as faithful allies, maintaining a certain administrative freedom. In 89 BC, Brixia was recognized as civitas ("city") and in 41 BC its inhabitants received Roman citizenship. Augustus founded a civil (not military) colony there in 27 BC, and he and Tiberius constructed an aqueduct to supply it. Roman Brixia had at least three temples, an aqueduct, a theater, a forum with another temple built under Vespasianus, and some baths.

When Constantine advanced against Maxentius in 312, an engagement took place at Brixia in which the enemy was forced to retreat as far as Verona. In 402, the city was ravaged by the Visigoths of Alaric I. During the invasion of the Huns under Attila, the city was again besieged and sacked in 452 while, some forty years later, it was one of the first conquests of the Gothic general Theoderic the Great in his war against Odoacer.

Middle Ages[link]

The castle of Brescia.

In 568 (or 569) Brescia was taken from the Byzantines by the Lombards, who made it the capital of one of their semi-independent duchies. The first duke was Alachis, who died in 573. Later dukes included the future kings Rotharis and Rodoald, and Alachis II, a fervent anti-Catholic who was killed in the batte of Cornate d'Adda (688). The last king of the Lombards, Desiderius, had also been duke of Brescia. In 774, Charlemagne captured the city and ended the existence of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy. Notingus was the first (prince-)bishop (in 844) who bore the title of count (see Bishopric of Brescia). From 855 to 875, under Louis II the Younger, Brescia become de facto capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Later the power of the bishop as imperial representative was gradually opposed by the local citizens and nobles, Brescia becoming a free commune around the early 12th century. Subsequently it expanded into the nearby countryside, first at the expense of the local landholders, and later against the neighbouring communes, notably Bergamo and Cremona. Brescia defeated the latter two times at Pontoglio, then at the Grumore (mid-12th century) and in the battle of the Malamorte (Bad Death) (1192).

During the struggles in XII and XIII centuries between the Lombard cities and the German emperors, Brescia was implicated in some of the leagues and in all of the uprisings against them. In the Battle of Legnano the contingent from Brescia was the second in size after that of Milan. The Peace of Constance (1183) that ended the war with Frederick Barbarossa confirmed officially the free status of the comune. In 1201 the podestà Rambertino Buvalelli made peace and established a league with Cremona, Bergamo, and Mantua. Memorable also is the siege laid to Brescia by the Emperor Frederick II in 1238 on account of the part taken by this city in the battle of Cortenova (27 November 1237). Brescia came through this assault victorious. After the fall of the Hohenstaufen, republican institutions declined at Brescia as in the other free cities and the leadership was contested between powerful families, chief among them the Maggi and the Brusati, the latter of the (pro-imperial, anti-papal) Ghibelline party. In 1258 it fell into the hands of Ezzelino da Romano.

In 1311 Emperor Henry VII laid siege to Brescia for six months, losing three-fourths of his army. Later the Scaliger of Verona, aided by the exiled Ghibellines, sought to place Brescia under subjection. The citizens of Brescia then had recourse to John of Luxemburg, but Mastino II della Scala expelled the governor appointed by him. His mastery was soon contested by the Visconti of Milan, but not even their rule was undisputed, as Pandolfo III Malatesta in 1406 took possession of the city. However, in 1416 he bartered it to Filippo Maria Visconti duke of Milan, who in 1426 sold it to the Venetians. The Milanese nobles forced Filippo to resume hostilities against the Venetians, and thus to attempt the recovery of Brescia, but he was defeated in the battle of Maclodio (1427), near Brescia, by general Carmagnola, commander of the Venetian mercenary army. In 1439 Brescia was once more besieged by Francesco Sforza, captain of the Venetians, who defeated Niccolò Piccinino, Filippo's condottiero. Thenceforward Brescia and the province were a Venetian possession, with the exception of the years between 1512 and 1520, when it was occupied by the French armies under Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours.

Modern era[link]

This section requires expansion.

Map of Brescia in the early 18th century.

Brescia has had a major role in the history of the violin. Many archive documents testify that from 1585 to 1895 Brescia was the cradle of a magnificent school of string players and makers, all styled "maestro", of all the different kinds of stringed instruments of the Renaissance: viola da gamba (viols), violone, lyra, lyrone, violetta and viola da brazzo. So you can find "maestro delle viole" or "maestro delle lire" and later, at least from 1558, "maestro di far violini" that is master of violin making. From 1530 the word violin appeared in Brescian documents and spread throughout north of Italy.

Early in the 16th century Brescia was one of the wealthiest cities of Lombardy, but it never recovered from its sack by the French in 1512.

It subsequently shared the fortunes of the Venetian republic until the latter fell at the hands of French general Napoleon Bonaparte; in Napoleonic times, it was part of the various revolutionary republics and then of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy after Napoleon became Emperor of the French.

In 1769, the city was devastated when the Bastion of San Nazaro was struck by lightning. The resulting fire ignited 90,000 kg of gunpowder stored there, causing a massive explosion which destroyed one-sixth of the city and killed 3,000 people.

After the end of the Napoleonic era in 1815, Brescia was annexed to the Austrian puppet state known as the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. Brescia revolted in 1848; then again in March 1849, when the Piedmontese army invaded Austrian-controlled Lombardy, the people in Brescia overthrew the hated local Austrian administration, and the Austrian military contingent, led by general Haynau, retreated to the Castle. When the larger military operations turned against the Piedmontese, that retreated, Brescia was left to its own resources, but managed to resist recapture by the Austrian army for ten days of bloody and obstinate street fighting that are now celebrated as the Ten Days of Brescia. This prompted poet Giosuè Carducci to nickname Brescia "Leonessa d'Italia" ("Italian Lioness"), since it was the only Lombard town to rally to King Charles Albert of Piedmont in that year.

In 1859, the citizens of Brescia voted overwhelmingly in favor of its inclusion in the newly-founded Kingdom of Italy.

The city was awarded a Gold Medal for its resistance against Fascism in World War II.

On May 28, 1974, it was the seat of the bloody Piazza della Loggia bombing.

Main sights[link]

Piazza della Loggia, with its Venetian influences.

Old Cathedral.

New Cathedral.

• Piazza della Loggia, a noteworthy example of Renaissance piazza, with the eponymous loggia (the current Town Hall) built in 1492 by the architect Filippino de' Grassi. On May 28, 1974, the square was the location of a terrorist bombing.
• Duomo Vecchio ("Old Cathedral"), also known as La Rotonda. It is an exteriorly rusticated Romanesque church, striking for its circular shape. The main structure was built in the 11th century on the ruins of an earlier basilica. Near the entrance is the pink Veronese marble sarcophagus of Berardo Maggi, while in the presbytery is the entrance to the crypt of San Filastrio. The structure houses paintings of the Assumption, the Evangelists Luke and Mark, the Feast of the Paschal Lamb, and Eli and the Angel by Alessandro Bonvicino (known as il Moretto); two canvasses by Girolamo Romanino, and paintings by Palma il Giovane, Francesco Maffei, Bonvicino, and others.^[2]
• Duomo Nuovo ("New Cathedral"). Construction on the new cathedral began in 1604 and continued till 1825. While initially a contract was awarded to Palladio, economic shortfalls awarded the project, still completed in a Palladian style, to the young Brescian architect Giovanni Battista Lantana, with decorative projects directed mainly by Pietro Maria Bagnadore. The façade is designed mainly by Giovanni Battista and Antonio Marchetti, while the cupola was designed by Luigi Cagnola. Interior frescoes including the Marriage, Visitation, and Birth of the Virgin, as well as the Sacrifice of Isaac, were frescoed by Bonvicino. The main attraction is the Arch of Sts. Apollonius and Filastrius (1510).^[3]
• The Broletto, the medieval Town Hall, which now hosts offices of both the Municipality and the Province. It is a massive 12th and 13th century building; on the front, the balcony where the medieval city officials spoke to the townsfolk from; on the north side, still standing one (Lombard: Tòr del Pégol) of the two original city towers, with a belfry still hosting the bells used of old to call all hands in moments of distress.
• In Piazza del Foro, as mentioned above, the most important array of Roman remains in Lombardy.
• The monastery of San Salvatore (or Santa Giulia), dating from the Lombard age but later renovated several times. It is one of the best examples of High Middle Ages architecture in northern Italy; it now hosts, after a decade-long renovation, the City Museum, with a rich Roman section; one of the masterpieces is the bronze statue of a winged Victory, originally probably a Venus, converted in antiquity into the Victory by adding the wings; it is said to be in the act of writing the winner's name on her shield (now lost). Also very interesting, one of the very few places in the world where the remains of three Roman domus can be visited on their original site simply by strolling into one of the Museum halls. In 2011, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy. Places of the power (568-774 A.D.).
• Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1488–1523), with a fine façade by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, decorated with bas-reliefs and a Renaissance peristilium.
• The Romanesque-Gothic church of St. Francis of Assisi, with a Gothic façade and cloisters.
• The castle, at the north-east angle of the town, on top of Colle Cidneo. Besides commanding a fine view of the city and a large part of the surrounding area, and being a local favorite recreational area, it hosts the Arms Museum, with a fine collection of weapons from the Middle Ages onwards; the Risorgimento Museum, dedicated to the Italian independence wars of the XIX century; an exhibition of model railroads; and an astronomical observatory.
• Church of Santi Nazaro e Celso, with the Averoldi Polyptych by Titian.
• Church of San Clemente, with numerous painting by Alessandro Bonvicino (generally known as Moretto).
• Church of San Giovanni, with a refectory painted partly by the Moretto and partly by Girolamo Romanino.
• Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo (currently closed for renovations), the municipal art gallery; it hosts works of the painters of the classical Brescian school, Romanino, Bonvicino, and Bonvicino's pupil, Giovanni Battista Moroni.
• Biblioteca Queriniana, containing rare early manuscripts, including a 14th-century manuscript of Dante, and some rare incunabula.

The city has no fewer than seventy-two public fountains. The stone quarries of Rezzato, 8 km east of Brescia, supplied marble for the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome.

Municipal administration[link]

Since 1994 (under the new electoral law, 1993) the mayor of Brescia is directly elected by the population.

The City Council of Brescia has 40 members (last election, April 2008).

The mayor of Brescia is Adriano Paroli (PDL) since 14 April 2008. Previously Paolo Corsini (PD) held the position since 1998 to 2008.

Sports[link]

Brescia was the starting and end point of the historical car race Mille Miglia that took place annually in May until 1957 on a Brescia-Rome-Brescia itinerary, and also the now defunct Coppa Florio, one of the first ever sport motor races. The Mille Miglia tradition is now kept alive by the "Historic Mille Miglia",^[4] a world-class event that gathers in Brescia every year thousands of fans of motor sports and of vintage sports cars. The only cars admitted to the race are the ones that could have competed in (although they do not necessarily have to have taken part in) the original Mille Miglia. The race nowadays is not however a speed race anymore, but rather a "regularity" race; speed races have actually been banned on regular roads in Italy because of the deadly accident that killed a driver and ten bystanders in the last minutes of the 1957 Mille Miglia - that therefore became the last of the original races.

Brescia is also the home of the Brescia Calcio football club and the Rugby Leonessa 1928.

Famous citizens[link]

• Marcus Nonius Macrinus, Roman general and consul to Emperor Marcus Aurelius
• Rothari or Rotari, King of the Lombards
• Rodoald or Rodoaldo, King of the Lombards
• Desiderius, King of the Lombards
• Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frankish emperor and King of Italy
• Arnold of Brescia, a dissident monk who lived in the 12th century
• Albertanus of Brescia, 13th century Latin author
• Veronica Gambara (1485–1550), poet and stateswoman.
• Giovanni Paoli (Juan Pablos), who brought the printing press to the new world in Mexico City under the viceroyalty of Antonio de Mendoza from Spain in 1535
• Saint Angela Merici, who founded the Order of Ursulines in Brescia in 1535
• Gasparo da Salò, b. 1540, d. 1609 - pioneer of violin making
• Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia, mathematician in the 16th century
• Giulio Alenio, (Brescia 1582-Yanping 1649) Jesuit missionary called the "Confucius from the West"
• Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), aeronautics and braille pioneer
• Benedetto Castelli, mathematician and expert in hydraulics in the early 17th century
• Paris Francesco Alghisi (1666–1733), composer
• Pietro Gnocchi 1689–1775, eccentric polymath and composer
• Bartolomeo Beretta, gunsmith and founder of the Beretta firearm company
• Giuseppe Zanardelli, b. 1826, d. 1903 - jurisconsult, politician, prime minister of the Kingdom of Italy (February 15, 1901 – November 3, 1903)
• Saint Maria Crocifissa di Rosa, who founded the Handmaids of Charity order of nuns in Brescia in 1840
• Camillo Golgi experimental pathologist, b. 1843, d. 1926, who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1906 for his studies of the structure of the nervous system
• Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, a pianist of the 20th century
• Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Montini (1897–1978).
• Guglielmo Achille Cavellini (1914–1990), art collector and artist
• Andrea Pirlo, football player
• Mario Balotelli, football player
• Manuel Belleri, football player
• Giacomo Agostini b. 1942, world-famous Grand Prix motorcycle racer and World Champion 1964–1977
• Marco Cassetti, football player
• Sergio Scariolo, basketball coach
• L'Aura, b.1984 - singer-songwriter

International relations[link]

In Brazil there is a town called Nova Bréscia. This name was given by its first citizens, who were from Brescia.

Twin towns—Sister cities[link]

Brescia is twinned with:

• Darmstadt, Germany (1991)^[5]
• Kaunas, Lithuania
• Logroño, Spain
• Toluca, Mexico
• Shenzhen, China

See also[link]

• Bishopric of Brescia
• University of Brescia
• Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Brescia.

Sources[link]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.  [1]

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brescia

• University of Brescia official site
• Catholic University of Brescia
• Just some news about Brescia

Pep Guardiola

Personal information
Full name	Josep Guardiola i Sala
Date of birth	(1971-01-18) 18 January 1971 (age 41)
Place of birth	Santpedor, Spain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
	Gimnàstic Manresa
1983–1990	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1990–1992	Barcelona B	59	(5)
1990–2001	Barcelona	263	(6)
2001–2002	Brescia	11	(2)
2002–2003	Roma	4	(0)
2003	Brescia	13	(1)
2003–2005	Al-Ahli	18	(2)
2005–2006	Dorados	10	(1)
Total		378	(17)
National team
1991	Spain U21	2	(0)
1991–1992	Spain U23	12	(2)
1992–2001	Spain	47	(5)
1995–2005	Catalonia	7	(0)
Teams managed
2007–2008	Barcelona B
2008–2012	Barcelona
Honours Men's Football Competitor for  Spain Gold 1992 Barcelona Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Josep "Pep" Guardiola i Sala (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛb ɡwəɾðiˈɔɫə]; born 18 January 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player. As a player, Guardiola played as a defensive midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career with FC Barcelona. He was part of Johan Cruyff's "dream team" that won Barcelona's first European Cup. He also played for Brescia and Roma in Italy; Al-Ahli in Qatar; and for Dorados de Sinaloa in Mexico while attending managing school. While playing in Italy, he served a four-month ban for a positive drug test although he was cleared of wrongdoing twice on appeal in 2009 before the Courts of Justice of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Federal Anti-Doping Courts of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI).^[2] As an international, he played for Spain, and in friendly matches for Catalonia.

After retiring as a player, Guardiola became coach of FC Barcelona B. On 8 May 2008, Barcelona President Joan Laporta announced that Guardiola would succeed Frank Rijkaard as the first team manager. He signed his contract on 5 June 2008.^[3] In his first season as manager, Barcelona won the treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. In doing so, Guardiola became the youngest UEFA Champions League-winning manager ever. The following season, Guardiola and Barcelona won the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup, bringing the manager's tally to the maximum of six trophies in six competitions in one year, thus completing the first ever sextuple.

On 8 September 2011, Guardiola was awarded the Catalan parliament's Gold Medal, the highest honour.^[4] On 9 January 2012, Guardiola received the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football award, with 42% of the votes, ahead of Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson, who received 16%, and José Mourinho, coach of Real Madrid, who had 12%.^[5]

On 27 April 2012, Guardiola announced he would quit as Barcelona manager on 30 June, after achieving 14 titles in four years in charge of the club. He will be succeeded by his second-in-charge Tito Vilanova.

Club career[link]

FC Barcelona[link]

Guardiola beginning his football career

Born in Santpedor, Barcelona, Catalonia, Guardiola joined La Masia at the age of 13 and rose through the ranks at the youth academy of Barcelona for six years, making his début in 1990 against Cádiz CF. As Phil Ball writes in Morbo,

"In his first week at the club, Cruyff turned up unannounced at the 'Mini' stadium, a venue just down the road from Camp Nou used by the youth and B teams. Just before half-time he wandered into the dug-out and asked Charly Rexach, the youth team manager at the time, the name of the young lad playing on the right side of midfield. 'Guardiola – good lad' came the reply. Cruyff ignored the comment and told Rexach to move him into the middle for the second half, to play as pivote. It was a difficult position to adapt to and one not used by many teams in Spain at the time. 'Pep' Guardiola adjusted immediately, as Cruyff had suspected he would, and when he moved up into the first-team in 1990 he became the pivot of the Dream Team."^[6]

Johan Cruyff utilised the young defensive midfielder in the absence of the suspended Guillermo Amor. He became a first team regular in the 1991–92 season and at only 20 years old was a key component of a side that won La Liga and the European Cup. The prestigious Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo heralded Guardiola as the finest player in the world under the age of 21.

Cruyff's Dream Team went on to retain the La Liga title in the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons. The side was strengthened by the recent signing of Romário, again reached the UEFA Champions League Final, but were humbled by Fabio Capello's Milan in Athens, and lost the match 0–4.

Cruyff left in 1996, with Barcelona finishing fourth in the 1994–95 season and third in the 1995–96 season, but Guardiola retained his position at the center of Barcelona's midfield. In the 1996–97 season, Barcelona, this time led by Bobby Robson, won three cups – the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España and the Cup Winners' Cup. Much of the Dream Team had by this time left, with new signings such as Luís Figo and Ronaldo taking over from Hristo Stoichkov and Michael Laudrup. At the end of the 1997–98 season, Barcelona rejected offers from Roma and Parma (of around 300 million pesetas)^{[citation needed]} for Guardiola. After prolonged and complicated contract talks, Guardiola signed a new contract with the Catalan club which extended his stay until 2001.

A calf muscle injury ruled Guardiola out of most of the 1997–98 season, in which Barcelona won a league and cup double under new manager Louis van Gaal. He returned to action the following season and Barcelona once again won the league thanks largely to the performances of Rivaldo and Luís Figo. On 8 June 1998, Guardiola underwent surgery to try to solve once and for all the problems that he was experiencing with his calf which had led to him missing the 1998 FIFA World Cup for Spain. A largely disappointing 1999–2000 season ended once again in surgery as Guardiola missed the last three months of the season due to a serious ankle injury.

Barcelona didn't win any silverware during the 2000–01 season and finished fourth place in the league, but qualifying for the Champions League. On 11 April 2001, Barcelona's captain announced his intention to leave the club after 17 years of service. He stated that it was a personal decision and, in part, a response to what he perceived as football heading in a new, more physical, direction.^{[cite this quote]} On 24 June 2001, Guardiola played his last match with Barça in the last game of the season against Celta Vigo.^[7]

Guardiola played 479 games for the club, in 12 seasons in the Barcelona first team, winning 16 trophies. At the press conference after the Celta Vigo game, he said, "It's been a long journey. I'm happy, proud, happy with the way people treated me and I have made many friends. I cannot ask for more. I have had many years in the elite. I did not come to make history but to make my own history."^{[cite this quote]} Guardiola was slow, but intelligently gifted with skill and foresight, rarely scored goals but set up from difficult positions on the field,^{[original research?]} he won six league titles, a European Cup and Olympic gold, amongst other numerous trophies. Born in the Catalan town of Santpedor, schooled barely 100 metres from Camp Nou and resident at La Masia, the traditional farmhouse that stands incongruously in its shadow, he was a part of a gifted side Barcelona produced, ordering, constructing, constantly moving the ball. He has been called the hero of a number of Spain's current midfielders, as Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Cesc Fàbregas have all stated that Guardiola was their role model and hero.^[8]

Serie A[link]

After leaving Barcelona in 2001 at the age of 30, Guardiola was linked with several clubs such as Newcastle United, Manchester United, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool, plus both Milanese clubs of Milan and Internazionale.^{[citation needed]} But Guardiola joined Italian side Brescia and then Roma in the Italian Serie A. His time in Italy, however, was unhappy and included a four month ban after testing positive for Nandrolone. Six years later, on 23 October 2007, Guardiola was cleared on appeal of all charges that had led to the ban.^[9] However, CONI reopened the case against the player, because it considered the argumentation of the absolution unacceptable,^[10] but he was cleared once again on 29 September 2009.^[11] His time in Italy was not nearly as successful as his career at Barcelona. He played a number of Coppa Italia games and UEFA Champions League games, finishing with 71 games in Italy.

Al-Ahli[link]

After his career with Brescia and Roma, in 2003 Guardiola chose to play in Qatar with Al-Ahli from Doha in the Qatar Stars League, where many fellow greats were playing, such as Gabriel Batistuta. He had rejected another offer from Manchester United, as he wanted to play elsewhere. He became a regular in the Qatar Stars League, often cited as one of the best players in the League.^{[citation needed]} In 2005–06, he turned down offers from a number European sides, such as Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, as he felt his playing career was coming to a close.^[12]

Dorados de Sinaloa[link]

In 2006, when Juan Manuel Lillo was appointed manager of Mexican club Dorados de Sinaloa, he recruited Guardiola to play for the club, while he was in managing school in Axocopán, Atlixco, Puebla. He subsequently played for six months, before retiring definitively.

International career[link]

Spain[link]

Guardiola made his senior debut on 14 October 1992 in 0–0 draw with Northern Ireland at Windsor Park in a World Cup qualifier. In the same year, Guardiola captained Spain when they won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games. It was in this year when he won the Bravo Award, voted the world's best player under the age of 21. Between 1992 and 2001, Guardiola was a regular midfield maestro, playing over 47 times and scoring five goals for the senior Spain team, as a midfield player. He was a member of the Spain team during the 1994 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals, losing to Italy 2–1. He fell out of favour with Javier Clemente, the Spain manager, due to difference and disagreement between the two, and missed out on Euro 1996. He suffered a career-threatening injury in 1998, which kept him out of the 1998 World Cup, but he later played at Euro 2000, where he led Spain to yet another quarter-final appearance, this time losing to France by the same margin, 2–1. He led the Spain midfield until his final appearance for Spain, in 1–0 win in a friendly against Mexico on 14 November 2001, and scoring his last international goal against Sweden in a 1–1 draw, in his 45th appearance.^[13][14]

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	16 December 1992	Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Latvia	2–0	5–0	1994 World Cup qualification
2.	27 June 1994	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	Bolivia	0–1	1–3	1994 World Cup
3.	14 December 1996	Mestalla, Valencia, Spain	Yugoslavia	1–0	2–0	1998 World Cup qualification
4.	12 February 1997	José Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain	Malta	1–0	4–0	1998 World Cup qualification
5.	3 June 2000	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Sweden	0–1	1–1	Friendly

Catalonia[link]

Guardiola has also played for and has served as an advocate of the Catalonia football team. Between 1995 and 2005, he played seven friendly games for Catalonia's national team.^[15]

Coaching career[link]

Barcelona B[link]

Guardiola was appointed coach of FC Barcelona B on 21 June 2007 with Francesc Vilanova his assistant. Under his guidance, the team subsequently won their Tercera División group and qualified for the 2008 Segunda División B playoffs, which the team won, thereby achieving promotion.^[16] FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced before the end of the 2007–08 season that Guardiola would be appointed manager of FC Barcelona to replace Frank Rijkaard at the end of the season.^[17]

Barcelona[link]

2008–09 season[link]

Guardiola in 2009

Upon being appointed, Guardiola revealed that Ronaldinho, Deco, Samuel Eto'o and others were not part of his plans for the coming season. By the time of the announcement, Guardiola had already offloaded full back Gianluca Zambrotta to Milan, attacking midfielder Giovani dos Santos to Tottenham Hotspur, and midfielder Edmílson to Villarreal.^[18] Deco went to Chelsea, while Ronaldinho joined Zambrotta in Milan. Lilian Thuram was initially going to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer but the discovery of a heart condition put a stop to the move, and the veteran retired to tend to his health. Oleguer Presas signed with Ajax, Santiago Ezquerro was released by Barça and Marc Crosas was sold to Celtic. The fate of Samuel Eto'o took much of the summer to unravel, with the Cameroonian linked with several clubs, but Guardiola finally declared that he would stay after his dedication in training and participation in the pre-season.

In association with Barça's director of sport, Txiki Begiristain, several new signings were made by Guardiola: Daniel Alves and Seydou Keita arrived from Sevilla, Martín Cáceres from Villarreal by way of Recreativo, Gerard Piqué returned from Manchester United, and Alexander Hleb was signed from Arsenal. Henrique was also signed from Palmeiras, but was immediately loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen.^[19] In interviews with the press, Guardiola stressed a harder work ethic than before, but also a more personal approach during training and a closer relationship with his players. Along with the new signings, Guardiola promoted canteranos Sergio Busquets, Pedro Rodríguez and Jeffrén Suárez to the first team squad.

Guardiola's first competitive game as coach was in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, in which Barça comfortably beat Polish club Wisła Kraków 4–0 at home. They then lost 1–0 in Kraków, but progressed with a 4–1 aggregate victory. Promoted Numancia also defeated Barcelona in the opening match-day of the La Liga, but the team then went on an undefeated streak for over 20 matches to move to the top of the league. Barça maintained their spot atop La Liga's table, securing their first league title since 2006 when rivals Real Madrid lost at Villarreal on 16 May 2009. The most important match however was on 2 May when they defeated Real Madrid 2–6 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Guardiola celebrating Barcelona's 2009 UEFA Champions League Final with Manuel Estiarte

The league title was the second piece of silverware in Guardiola's first season at the Camp Nou. On 13 May 2009, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, defeating Athletic Bilbao 4–1.

Guardiola finished the season by leading Barça to the final of the Champions League, where they beat Manchester United 2–0. In doing so, they became the first Spanish club to win the domestic cup, league, and European club titles (the treble) in the same season.^[20] Furthermore, Guardiola became the youngest man to coach a Champions League winning team.^[21]

2009–10 season[link]

During Guardiola's second season as manager Barcelona traded Samuel Eto'o and €49 million for Zlatan Ibrahimović. The club also signed Maxwell from Internazionale and Dmytro Chygrynskiy from Shakhtar Donetsk. Many players left the club on the same transfer window; Eiður Guðjohnsen was sold to Monaco, Sylvinho and Albert Jorquera's contracts ended and other players were loaned out, including Alexander Hleb to Stuttgart, Martín Cáceres to Juventus, Alberto Botía to Sporting de Gijón and Víctor Sánchez to Xerez.

Barcelona started the season defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish SuperCup and Shakhtar Donetsk in the European SuperCup. On 25 September 2009, Barcelona gave Guardiola his 50th professional victory, away against Málaga and on 19 December, they were crowned Club World Cup champions for the first time in their history. Guardiola finished the calendar year 2009 with a record six trophies, the Spanish League, Copa del Rey, Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, and Club World Cup, becoming the first manager in history to do so.

After winning every trophy they competed for in 2009, Barcelona suffered their first elimination under Guardiola in January 2010 against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey. January 2010 also saw Guardiola become Barcelona's longest serving Spanish coach, overtaking the record previously held by Josep Samitier. That same month, on the 20th, he agreed to a one-year contract extension to keep him with Barcelona until the end of the 2010–11 season.^[22] February of the same year saw Guardiola coach his one hundredth match for Barcelona's first team. His record stood at 71 wins, 19 draws and 10 losses with 242 goals for and 76 against.^[23] On 10 April 2010, he became the first manager in Barcelona's history to beat Real Madrid four times in a row in El Clásico.^{[citation needed]}

Barcelona reached the semi-finals of the 2009–10 Champions League, but lost 3–2 on aggregate to Internazionale.^[24] Despite this they managed to win their 20th La Liga title with 99 points by beating Real Valladolid 4–0 at home.^[25] The highest points total ever gained amongst any of Europe's major leagues.^[26] The La Liga title was Guardiola's seventh trophy as manager of the club, tying Ferdinand Daučík for second behind Johan Cruyff and his 11 trophies.

On 8 June 2010, the Royal Spanish Football Federation fined Guardiola €15,000, following a formal inquiry opened by the Competition Committee regarding his actions and comments during and after a match against Almeria on 6 March 2010.^[27] Guardiola approached the fourth official with, according to the official report, malicious intent, berating the official and speaking into his microphone with phrases such as, "You are calling everything wrong." Following the match, Guardiola accused Carlos Clos Gomez and his assistant Jose Luis Gallego Galdino of "lying" in their match report. Barcelona were given 10 days to appeal the sanction. TV replays supported Guardiola's assertions. The game ended 2–2.

2010–11 season[link]

Guardiola's third season in charge saw the departure of two players who had arrived last season, Dmytro Chygrynskiy returned to Shakhtar Donetsk and Zlatan Ibrahimović moved to Milan. Rafael Márquez and Thierry Henry were released from their contracts and moved to New York Red Bulls, Yaya Touré also left the team and moved to Manchester City. The club signed Adriano from Sevilla, David Villa from Valencia CF and Javier Mascherano from Liverpool.

On 14 July 2010, Guardiola signed a new contract to stay with Barcelona until June 2011.^[28] On 21 August, Barcelona beat Sevilla 5–3 on aggregate to win the 2010 Spanish Supercup, his second in a row. On 29 November 2010, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5–0, giving Guardiola five straight wins in as many matches in El Clásico.^{[citation needed]} On 8 February 2011, Guardiola accepted the club's offer for a one-year deal extension, signing a contract until June 2012.^[29] On 16 February, in the first leg of the Champions League First Knockout Round, Barcelona were defeated by Arsenal 1–2 at the Emirates Stadium. The defeat prolonged Guardiola's record of never having won the away leg of a Champions League knockout tie. On 8 March, in the second leg of the Champions League First Knockout Round, Barcelona defeated Arsenal 3–1 thus winning 4–3 on aggregate, moving them into the quarter-finals.

Early April saw Barcelona move eight points clear of second placed Real Madrid in their domestic league, after a key away win against Villareal CF, making the most of Real Madrid's home loss against Sporting Gijón earlier on the same day. Barcelona managed to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the fourth year (three last under Guardiola) in a row after thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk 6–1 on aggregate.

Following the Champions League campaign, Barcelona continued their La Liga crusades for the second El Clásico in the Santiago Bernabéu which ended 1–1. Messi scored for his team from penalty spot after Raúl Albiol was sent off. It was later replied by Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo from a penalty kick in the 80th minute of the match.

Guardiola suffered his first final defeat during Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal for in the 103rd minute of the match during extra time, giving the club the first title since 2008, as well as José Mourinho's first title in his new club.

In the Champions League, however, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the semi-final first leg, and after a 1–1 draw at Camp Nou they proceeded to Guardiola's second Champions League final in three years as coach for Barcelona.^[30] On 11 May 2011, Barcelona won the title and third in a row after a 1–1 draw with Levante UD.^[31][32] On 28 May, Barcelona beat Manchester United 3–1 to win the Champions League.^[33]

2011–12 season[link]

Guardiola's fourth season in charge started with the departure of three players who had been part of the team for a long time, Gabriel Milito moved back to Independiente, Jeffrén Suárez was sold to Sporting CP and Bojan Krkić was sold to Roma. Two big signings were made: Alexis Sánchez came from Udinese for €26m plus bonuses and Cesc Fàbregas, a former La Masia graduate, returned from Arsenal for €29m plus bonuses. To complete the squad two players where promoted from the youth system: Thiago Alcântara and Andreu Fontàs.

The season started with a 5–4 aggregate win over Real Madrid for the Spanish Super Cup.^[34] Barcelona won their second trophy of the season on 26 August beating Porto in the UEFA Super Cup final 2–0.^[35] With the trophy won against Porto he became all-time record holder of most titles won as a coach at FC Barcelona. He has won now 12 trophies in only three years.^[36] November of the same year saw Guardiola coach his two hundredth match for Barcelona's first team. His record stood at 144 wins, 39 draws and 17 losses with 500 goals for and 143 against.^[37]

Barcelona ended the 2011 calendar year winning the Club World Cup, beating Santos 4-0, the widest margin in a Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup final since changing to a single match format. This was Guardiola's 13th title of only 16 tournaments played.^[38]

On 9 January 2012, he was named FIFA Mens World Coach of the Year. On his 41st birthday, he led his side to a 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico, ensuring that he remained unbeaten against Real Madrid in regular time as a manager.

On 21 April, Guardiola conceded the league title to leaders Real Madrid, after they beat Barcelona 2-1 and extended their lead in the table to seven points with four matches remaining. "We have to congratulate Madrid for their win and the title that they have also won tonight," said Guardiola, after what was his side's first loss at home all season.^[39] Three days later, a 2-2 draw at home against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final knocked Barcelona out of the competition on a 2-3 aggregate score. That effectively left the team with only the Copa del Rey to play for.^[40] Guardiola had faced criticism over his recent tactics and squad selections.^[41][42]

On 27 April 2012, Guardiola announced he would step down as Barcelona's coach at the end of the 2011–12 season. He had been on a rolling contract that was renewed annually during his tenure as manager. Stating tiredness as the main reason for his decision, he also commented that four years at a club like Barça felt like an eternity.^[43] The team also announced that he would be succeeded by current assistant Tito Vilanova, who would begin leading the first team at the start of the 2012-13 season.^[44] Guardiola continued to lead Barcelona to wins in the remaining La Liga games of the season, followed by a 3-0 win in the Copa del Rey final. His record of 14 trophies in 4 seasons has made him the most successful coach in Barcelona's history.

Tactics[link]

Under Frank Rijkaard, Barcelona were known for a 4–3–3 with plenty of flair with Ronaldinho being the centre point of the attack. Under Guardiola the team has become more disciplined with a greater focus on possession and a far more disciplined and aggressive pressing style. He often plays a high defensive line with the full backs (particularly Daniel Alves) pushing high up down their respective sides while relying on the metronomic passing of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta to retain possession whilst employing an extraordinarily aggressive pressing style without the ball.^[45]

During Samuel Eto'o's time at Barcelona, Lionel Messi was deployed on the right hand side, however, since his departure Messi has largely played in the centre forward role fulfilling a false nine capacity.^[46]

During the 2011-12 season Guardiola made increasing use of the 3-4-3 system, especially when facing two attackers. Using Cesc Fàbregas as an attacking midfielder and Javier Mascherano or Sergio Busquets as pivot on the midfield. Johan Cruyff used this system as a basic tactical approach when Guardiola played for Barcelona. Guardiola used this system in a 5-0 win against Villarreal because he was short on defenders, and in a later Champions League game against Milan, he employed this tactic with most of his players available. "In Barcelona it is understood that you can win a thousand ways. All are valid. All work. There's little more to say," Guardiola wrote in a column for El Pais in March 2007, when Rijkaard experimented with a three-man backline of his own. "But in Barcelona it is also understood that you can never win and repeat in a way that does not feel right to you—that does not feel right to the directors, coaches, players, friends of the press and the people who go every week to see them."^[47]