"He was a very intelligent player and always transmitted to me his interest in football and his enthusiasm to learn," said Cruyff when Valverde was in his first job at Athletic Bilbao. Valverde, 53, has had success in almost every job he has had, reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2007 with Barca's city rivals Espanyol and winning three Greek league titles with Olympiakos Piraeus. Barca tried to convince him to take over in 2013 when Tito Vilanova was forced to leave the role due to illness but Valverde had agreed to coach Athletic again, prompting the Catalans to opt for the relatively unknown Gerardo Martino. Valverde's knowledge of Barca and his many years of experience of coaching in Spain saw him pip Argentine Jorge Sampaoli and Luis Enrique's assistant Juan Carlos Unzue to the top job. Yet even Valverde's impressive career path will be scant preparation for the demanding Barca job, which consumed predecessors Guardiola and Luis Enrique, who needed to take a sabbatical year after being drained by the pressure.

Source: The Star May 29, 2017 17:48 UTC