Pep Guardiola was never afraid to do things his way. The genius Manchester City manager was an icon as a Barcelona player, and has become a manager that will be remembered through the ages. While he might spend every minute of the day thinking about football now, his interests are traditionally wide-ranging.
Born in the small Catalan village of Santpedor, Guardiola ascended the steps to fame when he became a star for Barcelona under Johan Cruyff, and eventually captain. It opened up new doors for him.
Guardiola would go on to develop a keen interest in literature, art, cinema and fashion. In rescued footage from 1993, El Boig de Can Fanga shows a 22-year-old Guardiola modelling for a fashion show in Barcelona, sporting the designs of Antonio Miro.
Passarel·la Gaudí. Barcelona 1993.
🎥 TN TV3 pic.twitter.com/OVVmprtJG8
— El Boig de Can Fanga (@BoigBCN) March 23, 2023
Cruyff would end up criticising Guardiola for his trip down the catwalk. While it is not uncommon to see stars modelling for various brands these days, or the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe attending Paris fashion week, at the time it gave Guardiola plenty of grief. He faced homophobic abuse, and was hounded for his lack of conformity amongst the 1990s football culture.
