Page 179 - Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography

comment supported by Rosell himself.
In the dressing room, the players decided that the captains would be present in the media room; that
meant Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta and Valdés. However, others joined them to show their respect for Pep –
but not la Pulga. ‘Messi is here in spirit,’ Rosell insisted.

Leo cries, but not publicly. The Argentinian went on Facebook a few hours later to explain why he
hadn’t been there: ‘I want to thank Pep with all my heart for everything that he has done for me both
professionally and personally. Due to the emotional nature of the event, I preferred not to be in the
media conference. I wanted to be away from the press because they were going to look for sad faces
and that is something I have decided not to show.’ As a twelve-year-old, when he first joined
Barcelona, Messi would hide away from everybody whenever he cried, especially so as not to upset
his dad.

And then came the revelation that nobody had anticipated. Rosell, who was notably solemn,
announced that Tito Vilanova would be Pep’s replacement. His assistant had received the club offer
at Guardiola’s house two days earlier but had accepted just an hour before the press conference.
Pep did leave one doubt hanging in the air that appeared to go unnoticed. ‘Tito’s appointment
wasn’t my decision, it was Zubizarreta’s. I have just found it out myself this morning.’ Nobody
guessed that there could have been any sort of conflict although soon those words would be used to

create controversy that suggested that without Guardiola life at Barcelona would be more difficult.
The club, however, wanted to demonstrate publicly their commitment to Vilanova and not give any
cause for speculation at a time of uncertainty and potential instability. It was Zubizarreta’s chance to
prove that he had an immediate solution and Rosell accepted it. With the continuity that Guardiola’s
right-hand man would bring, the club was giving itself time to decide if it was the right decision or
whether a change of direction was needed. ‘Announcing that we had chosen Tito three or four days
after accepting Pep’s departure would have been counter-productive for Tito. The club could have

been accused of not having found a better coach, of not having a plan,’ a source at the club admits.
But the replacement can be interpreted differently. Since October, when Pep began having serious
doubts about staying for another season, he imagined that his departure included Tito. ‘We’ either all
stay or ‘we’ go, Pep had thought. A third option emerged when Zubizarreta mentioned Guardiola’s
assistant as his successor as early as November. Everybody suspected Tito would probably decline
the offer. In reality, it only took him an hour to accept the promotion. It caught Pep by surprise even

though they both talked about it and Guardiola accepted that it was Tito’s right to take over – he was
not going to interfere with that.
Zubizarreta explained the new Barcelona era to the media: ‘The important thing is the idea, the
principle that makes us different. We’ll keep fastening our seat belts and I’m sure that we’re going to
have a great time.’ Helped by the immediate and apparently seamless transition, the club appeared to
be taking everything in their stride.

If a moment perfectly encapsulated the emotion and the feelings of the club, the fans and Pep, it was
his farewell at the Camp Nou.
Pep’s send-off coincided with the Catalan derby against Espanyol, but, since neither team had

anything to play for, it became Pep Guardiola’s leaving party from the moment the first whistle blew.
Hundreds of fans left their messages of gratitude and good luck on an enormous mural that the club
had set up outside the stadium. A huge banner covering an equally huge section of the stand welcomed
his entry on to the pitch and showed a picture of the coach with the message ‘T’estimem Pep’ (We