In terms of footballing achievements, there are few who have done what Owen Hargreaves has.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder is the only English player to win the Champions League with two different clubs and was named England Player of the Year in 2006 after a stellar performance at the World Cup in Germany.
Hargreaves swapped Munich for Manchester in 2007 when he joined the ranks at Old Trafford, before eventually moving across town to Manchester City.
One man who is about to find out what that switch is like is current Bayern manager Pep Guardiola, who will take the reigns at Man City in July.
We caught up with Hargreaves before a recent appearance on BT Sport’s coverage of the FA Cup tie between Arsenal and Hull City to find out what he makes of Guardiola’s decision to come to the Etihad.
By the end of it, Guardiola’s decision to come to Manchester City was the worst-kept secret in football, but Hargreaves is quick to point out that the thinking about his future was very different a few months ago, saying:
“I think everybody would have thought if Pep comes to the Premier League he’d probably go to an Arsenal, he’d probably go to a Manchester United in terms of the prestige, like Barca, like Bayern,” he said. “But in terms of what City are building in that project, that’s why he’s there.”
“I think obviously the only reason he’s coming to Manchester City is that he realises, football-wise, it’s a great project. He’s a great coach and you have to admire the fact that a guy can leave a job like Barcelona and then Bayern Munich – arguably the most stable club in Europe – for a new challenge.
“I admire people who take challenges on. People might say it’s not that big a challenge, but look at all the wealth in the Premier League. It’s going to be difficult but you can guarantee that City are going to be the team to beat next year.”
Much has been made of the Spaniard’s managerial prowess, and Hargreaves believe it is all justified, and he believes Guardiola will have an instant impact on the City team: “He will guarantee they press the ball really well and that’s going to take them from a very, very good team right now to another level regardless of if they had one player.”
But he his quick to dismiss claims that City’s coup of appointing Guardiola is a result of the former Barcelona manager selling his services to the highest bidder: “People don’t understand, they’ve been building for quite a long time.
“I was there for a year. Okay, I didn’t play that much, but I got to see behind the scenes and the people that are there. People just look at Yaya Toure, Aguero and David Silva. As good as they are, they have those people behind the scenes in every department.
“Now they have that coach as well. That training ground that they have, the investment that they’re doing, this is not a fluke. I think too many football clubs don’t plan for the future, don’t build towards a target.”
It’s clear that Hargreaves believes City have been laying stronger foundations than one of his other former clubs, and that Guardiola’s appointment is only the tip of the iceberg.
“I think they have been building and building and building. This won’t be the cherry on the top, this will be just to show how far they’ve come.”
