Pep Guardiola drops huge Barcelona return bombshell

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola [Courtesy]

Pep Guardiola has revealed that he will return to Barcelona at some point in his career - but not as president.

Manchester City boss Guardiola spent 17 years at Barca as a player, having joined the club as a 13-year-old, before returning to the Nou Camp as a manager.

As a midfielder, Guardiola made his way through the La Masia academy before progressing from Barcelona C and B to the first team.

The Spain international played 382 times for Barca, where he won La Liga six times in 11 seasons along with a Copa del Rey, Cup Winners' Cup and European Cup.

Having finished his career at Brescia, Roma, Al-Ahli and Dorados, Guardiola honed his managerial skills with the Barca B side, with whom he won the Tercera Division in his only campaign before he was handed the reins with the first-team.

Guardiola then became Barca's most successful manager in their history by claiming 14 trophies in four years.

In his first season Guardiola lifted the treble before celebrating six titles in a single season during his reign - he ended up with three La Ligas, two Copa del Reys, three Supercopa de Espanas, two Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, two FIFA Club World Cups and an incredible win record of 72.5 per cent from 247 matches.

It comes as little surprise that he is seen as a legend in the Catalan city, and following equally impressive gold runs at Bayern Munich and City, Guardiola would welcome a move back to Barca.

"I will return to Barcelona sooner or later," Guardiola, who is under contract at City until the summer of 2021, told Marca. "But as president, forget about it.

"To be president, you have to know [what you're doing] and be prepared; to have knowledge that I don't have.

"I'm trying to be a good coach; that hasn't gone too badly in this decade.

"I will return to Barcelona to live, sooner or later."