Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has credited the late Dutch master Johan Cruyff for inspiring him to become a manager.

Guardiola, who learnt his trade as both a footballer and a coach at Barcelona, has paid his respects to the coach who under whom he played at the Catalan club back in the 1990s.

The Spaniard spoke recently of the Dutchman’s influence on him as both a person and a tactician when he addressed an audience at Cruyff’s posthumous launch of his autobiography.

‘I was a lucky guy, I coached City, Bayern and Barca because I met him. I thought I knew about football but when I met him, a whole new world opened in front of me,’ Guardiola explained, reports Sky Sports.

‘He taught us – not only me, but a generation of players – to understand the game, to understand why you took that decision. Football is the most complicated game, it’s very open and you have to take a lot of decisions. His impact on people was enormous.’

Guardiola explained that Cruyff always led by example in his training sessions and that his outlook on the game inspired a new generation of coaches.

‘He would not tell us how to do things, he would do them. Every single training session was a masterclass. He had knowledge, charisma, personality. Everyone knows about football, everyone, but there’s not many people that you will follow if he tells you to. You followed him.’

‘He was the most courageous manager I ever met,’ Guardiola concluded.

Cruyff past away earlier this year after a brief battle with cancer.