Why Is Josep Guardiola Fondly Referred To ‘Pep’? Legendary Manager’s Nickname Explained

Two-time treble winner Josep Guardiola is fondly referred as Pep by the entire footballing community and THEEAGLE explains the reason behind it.

One of the best football managers in history is Josep “Pep” Guardiola. The Spaniard managed FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City while winning 35 trophies in total. He just made history by being the first manager to ever win the continental triple twice, doing it with both Barcelona and Man City.

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In addition to numerous other individual and team honours, Guardiola has multiple league championships to his credit across three separate nations. He is, in a nutshell, one of the best managers in football history.

Why is Pep a nickname given to the former Barcelona player by both his contemporaries and the footballing community?

Here, THEEAGLE reveals why one of football’s most recognisable managers was given this moniker.

People often refer to Guardiola by his nickname Pep since in Spain, Pep is a diminutive form of Josep. The former Spain international was occasionally referred to as Josep and Pep while he was playing, but ever since he started coaching, Pep has been his most common nickname.

Valenti Guardiola, Pep’s father, commented on it as well and shared his monicker at home. In 2017, Pep’s father stated to Cronica El Mundo via Marca, “We always call him Jose,” Pep’s father told Cronica El Mundo, via Marca, in 2017. “There’s nothing of Pep. He said to his mother one day, ‘Here at home I am Jose,” he added.

Jose is a shortened version of Josep in Spain, just how Joe is used as a nickname for those with the last name Joseph in England. One of the most complicated football brains has a rather easy explanation for its moniker.