Frank Rijkaard was shown the way to the back door in a vital decision that brought Guardiola, a respected legend of the club, to the helm.
The Spaniard brought a great transformation to the team and conquered Europe, wining trebles and breaking long-standing records with the a formidable squad that saw the emergence of arguably the greatest football trio in Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andre Iniesta.
He would later leave Barcelona for Bayern Munich where he replicated his antics before moving to Man City to succeed Manuel Pellegrini in February 2016 in a deal that has obviously brought a remarkable revolution into the club.
Fast down the lane in 2019, Pep reminisced about his Barcelona spell and remembered how he was told Messi was a good player though young for the responsibility.
The Spaniard however said he was convinced of Messi's ingenuity when the Argentine began scoring three goals in pre-season training.
And from there, he knew the team would "win everything."
"I did not know him and one day I saw him and his father at a Nike store. I saw him, he looked small and shy and I thought: 'Is this one as good as they say?'' the Spaniard said.
"We started pre-season in Scotland, we won 6-1, 5-0 and he would score three goals a game for you. I thought that, with him, we would win everything," Pep remarked.
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