Guardiola’s win percentage outshines other top managers.
Wherever Pep Guardiola manages, records are consistently broken. In 2009, he led Barcelona to an unprecedented six trophies in a single calendar year with a squad recognized for its beauty and success. That team secured two Champions League titles within three years and is frequently lauded as one of the greatest teams in football history. At Bayern Munich, Guardiola claimed the Bundesliga title earlier than ever before and guided his team to an impressive 19-match winning streak. When he took over at Manchester City, many skeptics doubted whether his ‘tiki-taka’ approach would thrive in the intensity of the Premier League.
After securing six of the last seven league titles, including the remarkable achievement of winning four consecutively, it’s clear that his critics have been silenced. This season, however, his Manchester City squad has stumbled out of the gates, reminiscent of their struggles from the previous term. Early losses to Tottenham and Brighton have put them on the back foot. Nevertheless, an impressive 3-0 victory in the Manchester derby has set them back on course, marking a significant milestone for Guardiola: his 600th top-five league game. His record from these matches is nothing short of astonishing.
Pep Guardiola’s 600 Top-Five League Games
As shown in the graphic above, Guardiola has been a winning powerhouse in the top leagues worldwide. Out of the 600 matches he has managed, he has triumphantly won 446, yielding an impressive win rate of 74%. He has only faced 69 defeats, translating to a loss rate of just 11.5%. His teams have netted an extraordinary 1,501 goals while conceding only 464—averaging an incredible 2.50 goals scored and a mere 0.77 goals conceded per game. Even more remarkably, across the 16 seasons he has led teams in top-five leagues, he has captured the league title 11 times.
At Barcelona, Guardiola clinched La Liga three times and finished as runner-up in his final season under José Mourinho’s Real Madrid. At Bayern Munich, he achieved the Bundesliga title in each of his three seasons there. Over his nine full seasons at Manchester City, he has won the Premier League six times, never finishing outside the top three. His first season in English football saw his team place third, and he has repeated this feat last season, alongside finishing second to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool during the 2019/20 campaign. But how does Guardiola’s record in top-five leagues measure up against other elite managers of this century?
Top Win Rates Among Elite Managers Since 2000
As highlighted above, Guardiola’s 74% win rate surpasses all other managers who have overseen at least 200 top-five league matches since the year 2000—and by a significant margin. Sir Alex Ferguson follows suit, having managed 513 Premier League matches with a win percentage of 68%. Third on the list is Italian manager Antonio Conte, boasting a 66% win rate from 361 games in the Premier League and Serie A. Fourth is current PSG manager Luis Enrique, with a 65% win rate across 262 games.
The legendary Carlo Ancelotti is fifth, having taken charge of 849 top-five league games this century and achieving a 62% win rate. Other notable names such as Laurent Blanc (62%), José Mourinho (61%), Ottmar Hitzfeld (61%), Diego Simeone (60%), and Massimiliano Allegri (60%) round out the top 10. These iconic figures face tough competition, but Guardiola stands out above them all. While Manchester City may face challenges in reclaiming the Premier League title this season, Guardiola’s impact on Europe’s top leagues has been nothing short of monumental.
