Josep Guardiola Sala was born in Santpedor, Spain, on January 18, 1971. Throughout his trophy-laden career in football, the player-turned-manager has been known to fans as both Josep and Pep. But why?
In Spain, Pep is short for the name Josep, hence why people refer to Guardiola by his nickname. The former Spain international was known by Josep and Pep at times during his playing days, but he has almost always been called Pep since becoming a coach.
You might notice that UEFA uses the full names of coaches and players in online articles and in-game graphics. Thatās when youāre most likely to see the name Josep Guardiola appear on your screen.
Pep Guardiolaās father has another name for him
Although we know the Barcelona icon by the name Pep, he has a different name whenever heās around his family. That name, ironically enough given his past battles with a certain Special One, is Jose.
āHere at home we always call him Jose,ā Pepās father Valenti Guardiola told Cronica El Mundo, via Marca, in 2017. āThereās nothing of Pep. He said to his mother one day, āHere at home I am Jose.'ā
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In the same way that Joe is used as a nickname for people called Joseph in England, Jose is a shortened version of Josep in Spain. That means the epic Guardiola vs. Mourinho tussles of years gone by were technically contested by two Joses.
Pep Guardiola has a soccer complex named after him
TheĀ Camp Dāesports Municipal Josep Guardiola is located in Pep Guardiolaās hometown of Santpedor. Founded in 2007, the sports hub has an artificial football pitch and a capacity of 120 people.
In 2022, Manchester City celebrated the clubās 2021-22 Premier League title win by taking the silverware on a Global Trophy Tour. Fans could take pictures with the trophy in several destinations around the world, including Mexico and South Africa.
The tour also stopped by the Camp Dāesports Municipal Josep Guardiola. Cityās website reported that Pepās father Valenti was on hand to give club representatives a close look at a private museum dedicated to his son.
