On June 24, 2001, there he was alone, apart from his team, cheered by the spectators at the Camp Nou. After seventeen years at FC Barcelona, where he played 379 matches, Pep Guardiola bid farewell to his training club (as a player) to join Brescia, then AS Roma. In the central circle, the local child struggles to hold back his tears. One of his teammates then rushes towards him to carry him in triumph: Luis Enrique. In front of cameras around the world, they exchange a few words and kiss each other warmly. The expression of a frank friendship between the Catalan and the Asturian, who have played together for five years with the Blaugranas.
Twenty-four years later, the two men will come face to face, this time with their coaching hats, for a crucial match between their respective teams: Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) hosts Manchester City by Pep Guardiola, Wednesday January 22 at 9 p.m., on behalf of the seventh and penultimate day of the first phase of the Champions League. A crucial deadline for PSG, which is currently virtually eliminated (25e out of 32), but also for City (22e), before the last day, January 29, when the capital club will travel to Stuttgart (Germany).
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