Pep Guardiola’s conference before 3,200 people at the Teatro Gran Rex in Buenos Aires was labelled as one of the most important events in sports in Argentina. Contrary to Barcelona’s media, which seems to have rapidly forgotten Pep’s legacy and is working to discredit him, Argentina’s football world stopped for a day to learn and to hear someone they consider an inspiration.
Many renowned people from the world of sport, from Argentina’s national team coach Sabella, former players like Diego Latorre, David Trezeguet and Gabi Milito, former tennis player David Nalbandian, to several managers of first division teams, as well as young players, young coaches, and journalists were in attendance. Besides these figures, a vast anonymous crowd was there to hear the concepts Pep had to share.
But before Guardiola, we had the pleasure of hearing another man who should be sorely missed at Barça. Manel Estiarte, former Head of Public Relations at the club, Pep’s friend, who is used to these kind of events, also spoke. Manel used to be the ‘shield’, the ‘filter’ between the renowned ‘entorn’ (press and opinion leaders) and the squad. Players were the most important people for him. And in the light of that experience, he shared some nice thoughts as well, reflections on his own past as a World and Olympic champion in waterpolo.First, how hard it was for him to change from an individual experience of sports (“I was labelled a leader, and I was 18. I didn’t know anything. I liked to score, to have the ball. Even if my team didn’t win“), from a selfish point of view, to become a true leader of a team that was one of the most successful in the sport’s history.
Manel also talked about different types of leadership, and used Barça as an example. “Lio [Messi] is a leader. On the field, he wants to win all the time, but plays for the team.Puyol, another type of leader. Iniesta too: at first I thought he didn’t talk, but the fact is that … when he spoke, everyone would pay attention.” Mascherano, who was praised the entire evening, had another component of leadership described by Estiarte: generosity and sacrifice for a team.
Manel said that once he was invited to give a speech to a group of business men about leadership. Then he visited Pep at his place and asked him, “Pep, I have to give this speech about leadership, but don’t know how to define it.” Pep replied: “a leader is someone that makes the other ones better.” To give an example of this, Estiarte told us how Pep asked Gabi Milito, long absent from an injury, to give the motivational speech before the Club World Cup final against Independiente in 2009. Gabi took the honor (as it was his former team), and he became involved in the game as much as any other player.
“There is no Guardiola method,” Manel finished, contradicting the titles of many of the books that were sold at the theatre that day. “The Guardiola method is him, he is unique.” After that, Estiarte left, leaving us with the a touching recap of 14 goals from the 14 titles of the unforgettable Pep Guardiola era at FC Barcelona. Manel Estiarte is an outstanding man, one who should have received more recognition than he had during his time at the club.
Pep comment on Messi:
“Messi is the best defender out there. When trying to take the ball off you, he will. I’m sure if you put him at left-back he would be the same,” commented Guardiola this week.
“My influence? If he does what he does in the area, what do I have to do with that?
“When I first came across him, I had never seen him play, but Tito [Vilanova] had already told me wonders.”
