Barcelona welcome Cadiz to Camp Nou this afternoon in another important La Liga clash. It’s a fixture with special significance for Pep Guardiola, who, according to Diario Sport, made his senior debut for the Barcelona first team against Cadiz on 15 December 1990, a month after his 20th birthday.
Cadiz were struggling at the time, fighting it out in the lower reaches of the table and would in fact only be saved from relegation in a play-off with CD Malaga, a game they won on penalties. Barcelona, coached by Johan Cruyff, overcame initial resistance to win the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Begiristain and Bakero. Guardiola earned a 6/10 rating from Diario Sport.
The young Catalan had to deal with Fabian Alberto ‘Indio’ Vazquez, Cadiz’s Argentine playmaker, and more than complied. He continued featuring for the B team after his debut but slowly integrated into the first team set up. Manchester City face Arsenal this afternoon, but Guardiola is sure to have given a second thought to the day that started it all over 30 years ago.
