Many people were skeptical that the methods that made him so successful in Spain and Germany would work in England.
A fourth title in five seasons makes a mockery of that initial doubt. His approach has changed the way football is played in the country.
A visit to a non-league game, a youth match or even a five-a-side pitch in England would once have been a guarantee of seeing a brand of football focused mainly on winning.
The main reason for that has changed and that is because of the man. We live in different times because of him. Building from the back, encouragement to be brave, and the constant obsession with possession are some of the things that can be seen. It goes all the way down to the youngest of players.
It's no secret that the game has changed because of the work done by the man named Guardiola.
How English football has changed the man is less discussed.
Following the signing of Erling Haaland, the methods that were used at Barcelona and the other teams will continue to evolve. That deal shows how Manchester City's manager has adapted his footballing vision over the past six years.
The arrival of the Norwegian is a sign that City is ready for the next chapter. Despite arriving as arguably the pre-eminent coach of his generation, he has had to adapt to his new surroundings and change some of his views, but he has enjoyed life in Manchester.
He was confident that he could control a game and set the rhythm for his team with a weak central player. He had done this in the past with Xavi and Joshua Kimmich.
The approach did not work in the premier league. In England, you need a central minster who is strong in aerial battles. Rodri is an example of what he needs. When a centre-back moves forward, he expects his central midfielders to act as defenders, so they must have the strength to do that.
He believes English referees are more tolerant than their continental counterparts. He feels you need players who are bigger and stronger to cope with it, as this has affected his decision making. If you get knocked down, you need to get up and be ready to go again, as clashes do not get rewarded with fouls as often as they do anywhere else.
He started using full-backs in the central midfield in Germany. English football has shown him that sometimes you need an extra player in the middle to take control of the central area of the pitch, and that full-backs can help with second balls in central areas when you have to recover possession.
English football is often played with a lack of control, not unlike two boxers hitting each other in the knowledge that, despite the high emotion that comes from the stands, it is often played with a lack of control.
Joao Cancelo was allowed to attack and stay high, forcing Allan Saint-Maximin to drop deeper. The space left in behind by Cancelo gave the winger the chance to attack. The hope was that the man from City would win the fight. He did. Cancelo claimed an assist as the champions won. It is a tactic that has been used many times in the premier league.
Manchester City has had flaws this season, and that has been the focus of the coach.
One of the main areas where he has worked the hardest over the past year is on set-pieces.
Manchester City scored 21 from dead-ball situations and only conceded one goal from corner situations in the next two years.
There is still a perception that this team is vulnerable. If that isn't so much at set-pieces, then what about counter attacks? Their 2-2 draw at West Ham in their last game of the season was a good example of this. Time and again, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen burst through and threatened, with mixed results.
If you have so many players in front of the ball, this is a risk worth taking. He sets the team up to stop the counters and he has learned how to do it.
English football is to blame for the lack of full control of games. A 2-0 score in Spain or Germany is seen as a foregone conclusion. Not in England.
He had to get his players to understand, but only after he got a grip on it himself.
Keeping the ball well is not a guarantee that something won't happen.
In the 6-3 victory overLeicester, his side went up by four goals after 25 minutes, but then conceded three goals in a 10-minute period in the second half. After Aymeric Laporte scored a goal, everyone was calm.
The pressure put on teams by fans in England is unlike anywhere else in the world and how you deal with it is what defines you.
There is nothing that can be done to stop a change of dynamic. The story would have been different if one of the six chances City had at the Etihad Stadium or one of the two Grealish had late on at the Bernabeu had been converted. Control and possession are not enough. As emotions take over and an opponent piles forward, it becomes a case of all hands to the pump.
He knows that things can be improved. In times of stress and panic, Ruben Dias displays calmness and clarity. He is an example to follow.
What about Kevin de Bruyne? He is a brilliant player who knows what he has to do and does it with skill, but he should be more present in the most brutal of moments to reach the level of Lionel Messi, or any other player.
Intelligence, adaptability and technique have tended to be preferred over big personality when building teams.
Every successful side needs more than one leader. It seems that the signing of Haaland for 51.2 million dollars is an admission that they need him to make the difference in semi-finals, and that they require him to make the difference in those moments.
The Norwegian has a force of personality that matches his talent.
It's not certain that City can go from winning most games to winning them all. Who can do it? The requirement from the club owners was for the team to be regulars in the final stages of the competition without a regular goalscorer or a decisive player.
The director of football and the coach have known for a long time that City needed a top personality and a top scorer. They tried to sign Kane for two windows.
The expectation is that Haaland will be that kind of player, and it is likely that City will change the way they play to accommodate him.
In order to establish numerical superiority, the team has to work in the wide areas of the pitch, while the arrival in the box of theMidfielders is what the team is supposed to finish off with. The crosses are often ignored because they don't have players to head them in.
This has worked brilliantly, but for some time City have lacked efficiency in the penalty area, and no side has wasted more chances than they have in the past four years. Haaland was bought to change that.
His arrival will probably mean less emphasis on moves in wide positions, with build-up play coming more from a central area, and with a greater focus on players arriving into the box.
We may see more of a transitional game.
At Barcelona, the team used to be told to pass the ball 15 times before starting an attack to make sure all the players were in their positions. His game was based on that. He has learned that quick transitions can be decisive.
During his time in Germany, he explored it, but he has taken that to a new level in the Premier League. The most-used tactic of City's rivals is to defend in a deep and compact way, and De Bruyne helps break those sides down with his passing.
A passionate advocate of an approach which destabilises the opposition by constantly moving the ball around before finding the killer pass is the man who is known as "Pepe". He has come to accept that playing a quicker game is the best option when the opposition are disorganized.
This is not a change in approach but a required adaptation.
Haaland will thrive on the quick transitions but will also relish the chance to get into the six-yard box for a side who create more chances than anyone else in Europe. He has been told he will get out of jail free more often than not.
The elephant in the room when discussing a City future is that his contract is about to end.
The club denies that the manager told Haaland that his arrival would make it easier for the 51-year-old to decide his future.
It's probably not the right time to talk about that because of the loss to Real Madrid.
One thing that is certain is that when the Spaniard makes up his mind, it will not be until he has had a long break, cleared his head and convinced himself that he has the energy to carry on at City.
It won't be the lack of a win that decides the matter for him. He thinks he has done well at Manchester City.
He knows that winning the European Championship would be the cherry on top of the cake and that getting the best out of the same group of players gets harder and harder every year. The next manager may be able to get the precious title using the foundations he has put in place.
For now, he is not talking about that. There isn't much to look forward to right now. Only to rest and celebrate.
Guillem Balague writes a regular column throughout the season and also appears every Thursday on the Football Daily on Radio 5 Live.
You can listen to Football Daily here.
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